A crackdown on the use of mobile phones in Scottish schools is being considered amid growing concerns they disrupt learning and affect brain development.
Jenny Gilruth, the Scottish education secretary, is “very interested” in a UN report that recommended a ban on using the devices to improve pupils’ concentration and reduce bullying.
Gilruth, a former teacher of modern studies who took charge of education in March, is concerned that excessive attachment to online content could affect the way children learn and process information.
She told The Times that she would consider ordering research into the effect that stricter phone policies could have on education. This could include looking at the effect of locking devices away for the day in secure boxes.
