The teacher fighting for smartphone-free schools

Smartphones have fundamentally transformed schools and childhoods for the worse. Despite this, we now live in a world where – during the tipping point from primary to secondary school – children are taught that they need a smartphone just to survive and fit in. Despite most parents having deep concerns, they feel that they have no choice but to give a smartphone to their child. But parents, as well as their children, in my opinion, are both victims of an insidious trap. 

When children bring smartphones onto school premises, they bring with them a host of digital problems, including exposure to pornography, sexting, cyberbullying, and violent content. This affects not only individuals, but the entire collective of children. School teachers and Safeguarding Leads across the UK are regularly made aware of children sharing damaging material with one another, both digitally and by showing their screens on the way into school. This includes execution videos and Child Sexual Abuse Material. And it means many teachers aren’t getting enough time to teach, because they’re sorting out so many smartphone-triggered problems including a lack of concentration. 

We must change the new societal norm of giving children always-on internet-connected mini-TVs, with backwards and forwards-facing cameras, loaded with social media apps powered by algorithms designed to keep them watching. We can see the harm that this does to adults, but for children it is far worse, as their brains are still developing. Adolescence is therefore a disastrous moment for children to be given smartphones.

In order to try to manage this dire situation, some schools are introducing phone pouches. While well-intentioned, pouches do nothing to change the norm. They simply make it slightly more inconvenient for children to access their smartphone during the school day. This can reduce distractions, but the smartphone is still present. The harm is still being done. The proper solution is for all schools to be ‘brickphone only’ environments, and a number of schools in the UK are now doing this and even more are starting the process from September. 

The recent UK government announcement that the age for social media access will increase to 16 years old is welcomed, sure, but the details are not finalised and outcomes are very uncertain. Instead, we need to focus on banning the actual hardware and the devices. I believe a brick phone, which can only text and call, is more than enough technology to give an 11-year-old. And, parents need to be encouraged to make this the first communication device that they give their children. 

"The proper solution is for all schools to be ‘brickphone only’ environments"

If you are convinced by the above, you will need to work with other parents. You will also need to write to your school, your local council, your local politician, and the media. Understandably, parents can feel like they are being judged. However, in my experience, the vast majority of parents agree kids are getting smartphones way too young; they only feel compelled to buy one due to this fear their kid will get bullied or become a social outcast without it.  

Educating parents will be crucial to changing the law so that by 2030, under-16s are banned from smartphone use. But without more collective action from global governments, their efforts will be in vain. If that law was enacted tomorrow, it would make my job so much easier, and it would allow teachers to be teachers, students to be students, and most importantly: children to be children. Sure sounds good to me.

You can find out more about the Set @ 16 movement here.