Devon MP wins PM pledge as calls grow for schools to act on smartphones ‘hurting children’

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to take effective action on what he called a major concern for parents and teachers, after a South Devon MP raised the issue of mobile phone use in schools.

South Devon Liberal Democrat MP Caroline Voaden used her question during Prime Minister’s Questions to ask what steps the government planned to take in response to growing worries about smartphones in classrooms.

She told the Commons: “Given the government’s desire to improve educational outcomes and the wellbeing of our children, it is ignoring the elephant in the room.”

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Ms Voaden said she had recently hosted a “powerful” meeting with three head teachers who reported that a complete ban on smartphones in their schools had a transformational impact.

“It led to improved behaviour, far fewer safeguarding issues and, most importantly, happier children,” she said. “Will the Prime Minister tell me, and the thousands of head teachers crying out for this change, why his government won’t back them with a ban on smartphones in schools?”

Sir Keir said that, as a parent of teenage children, he recognised the concern and acknowledged how widely the issue was felt among families and teachers.

He responded: “The reality is that the vast majority of schools already ban smartphones. They allow children to bring their phones to school, but they ban them during school time and in lessons.

“Of course, we will always keep this under review. We are going to take steps that are effective. I agree with the sentiment, and we need to deal with it effectively.”

Last year Ms Voaden supported a private member’s bill calling for a nationwide ban on smartphone use among schoolchildren.

Earlier this year she also attended a parents’ meeting in Totnes, which heard from campaigners who helped secure a ban at Kingsbridge Community College.

Speaking afterwards, she said: “I’d heard a lot of the evidence before, but it felt very raw hearing it again with a room full of parents who were clearly shocked, and quite fearful, at the kinds of things their kids might see on phones when they go up to secondary school.

“It becomes more and more puzzling to me that the government doesn’t move faster on this.

“Banning smartphones from schools would be the quickest, most impactful measure they could take to improve children’s mental and physical health, improve school attainment and make life happier for both teachers and pupils.”