UK Government blocks Conservative Party’s attempt to ban mobile phones in school

The UK’s chief medical officers would also have had to publish advice for parents on the use of smart phones and social media. If successful it would have forced a change to Labour’s flagship Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. It was also backed in the Commons by Liberal Democrat, Green Party and Reform UK MPs.

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However, Labour dismissed the move as Conservatives “jumping on a bandwagon”, and said measures were already in place to allow schools to ban phones.

The Government defeated the amendment, with 317 MPs voting against the 159 in favour of the change. Conservative shadow education minister Neil O’Brien said children are suffering from back problems often seen in middle-aged people because of phone use, and said they were being exposed to violent pornography.

Mr O’Brien said: “Children are tired in school, ADHD has increased massively, concentration is impaired. This is a feature, not a bug, apps are designed to be addictive and drip-feed you dopamine.”

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“At a recent school meeting I organised in my own constituency, I heard from local doctors about how excessive screen time is damaging eyesight and giving young kids the kind of back problems you might expect from someone in late middle-age. Eight out of 10 children are now exposed to violent porn before age 18, many at a really young age. “

“The average age kids see porn at now is 13. The shift to smartphone-based childhood is also leading children to be exposed to graphic violence, sextortion, self-harm encouragement, and (is) doing terrible things to girls’ self-image.”

His Conservative Party colleague former schools minister Damian Hinds said he supported the view that social media and smartphones are behind the rise in young people with mental health problems.

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The Conservative MP for East Hampshire said: “I don’t know about other colleagues, but I don’t meet many people, particularly not teachers who seriously doubt that there is a major causal link between the two things.”

Liberal Democrat education spokeswoman Munira Wilson said: “In this unprecedented digital age, we need to treat children’s social media and phone addiction as a public health issue.”

“We have long supported the previous government’s guidance to schools to try and restrict mobile phones during the school day with, importantly, proper mitigations that teachers and headteachers can use for young carers and those with medical conditions who use their phones as a medical device and for other local circumstances that only headteachers and teachers are best placed to know.”

However, Labour education minister Stephen Morgan said: “Turning to the new bandwagon the Conservatives have jumped on; mobile phone use in schools … phones have no place in schools.

“That’s why the Education Secretary said last week that it’s as simple as that. “Teachers and headteachers have the Government’s full backing in ridding our classrooms of the disruption of phones, and they already have the means to do so.

“And we will be checking this is happening, strengthening Government monitoring of implementation of the guidance to ensure that our classrooms are phone-free. But I must note as a number of members have mentioned tonight, that just a year ago, the Conservatives claimed that their action meant mobile phones were prohibited in schools and their guidance meant a consistent approach across all schools.”

Mr Morgan said the studies the Conservatives have called for are already being carried out. He added: “We hear parents’ concerns about screen time, but this is a wider issue across the board which isn’t exclusive to schools, and it’s an issue on which we’re already acting across Government to ensure parents and teachers are supported to ensure children’s safety and wellbeing is protected.

He added: “We take these matters seriously because we take children’s wellbeing seriously.”