Gillian Keegan’s announcement of a ban on mobile phones in schools seems timely and helpful. It unambiguously signals that the pervasive nature of smartphone technology has no place in our classrooms or playgrounds.
However, it does little to address the real problem. Any headteacher worth their salt already enforces firm rules on phones and the majority of parents (in principle at least) support tight regulation within schools.
If the problem in 2023 was that mobile phones distract children from learning in school, Keegan’s announcement would be the solution. Sadly, it isn’t.
Smartphone use is an addiction with profound personal and social consequences that stretch well beyond the classroom and into every segment of our lives. Its impact is most profound on the youngest addicts: our students.
