Education experts reveal why phone-free school environments may be helping pupils reconnect with confidence, friendship and life beyond the screen.
Online searches for “banning phones in schools” have surged by 5,000% in the past month as educators and parents increasingly question the impact of constant smartphone use on children’s concentration, confidence and mental wellbeing.
Nearly all primary schools (99.8%) and 90% of secondary schools in England already restrict mobile phone use according to the children’s commissioner. However, updated government guidance, which is set to become statutory, states that schools should be “mobile phone-free environments by default”.
Now, education experts say growing evidence suggests removing phones from the school day could have a significant impact on pupils’ concentration, wellbeing and social confidence, particularly among girls navigating the pressures of an always-on digital culture.
Meanwhile, the Education Committee has also concluded that phone bans in schools ‘can have a positive impact on the mental health and educational outcomes of children’.
Against this backdrop, the Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST) says the conversation is about far more than classroom distraction.
"Schools are increasingly seeing that when phones are removed from the social environment, pupils become more present, both academically and socially," said Dr Philip Purvis, Director of Education at the GDST.
"Many girls describe feeling under pressure to remain constantly available and comparing themselves online. Creating phone-free spaces during the school day gives pupils greater opportunity to focus, participate more confidently and engage more meaningfully with one another."
Parliamentary research shows smartphones and social media are now deeply embedded in childhood. Nearly all (98%) adolescents own a smartphone, while Ofcom research shows nine in 10 children own a mobile phone by the age of 11 and three-quarters of social media users aged between eight and 17 have their own account or profile on at least one major platform.
The same parliamentary briefing highlights research linking excessive smartphone use among children to sleep disruption, reduced attention spans and increased anxiety.
According to Cathy Ellott, Head of Streatham & Clapham High School GDST, one of the biggest misconceptions about smartphone restrictions is that young people automatically oppose them.
"Teenagers care deeply about fairness and consistency," she said. "While they value their independence, they also want clear boundaries. When expectations are applied fairly and reinforced both at school and at home, most young people understand why they are there."
The GDST says successful phone policies rely on strong partnerships between schools and parents, helping children receive consistent messages about when and how devices should be used.
"Phone policies work best when schools and parents are working together," Cathy added. "Young people are much more likely to accept boundaries when they see the same values being reinforced both at home and at school."
Cathy believes many adults underestimate how much young people value real-world experiences and face-to-face connection: "There's a perception that teenagers want to spend all their time online, but that's not what we see," she said. "They want to spend time with friends, attend concerts, travel, play sport and create memories. They are looking for authentic experiences and genuine connection."
Teachers working in phone-free environments report that pupils are often more willing to contribute to lessons, engage in face-to-face conversations at breaktimes and spend more time socialising outdoors.
"When phones are removed from the social environment, it's striking how quickly pupils reconnect with each other," Cathy shared. "At break and lunchtime, we see football, table tennis, friendship groups chatting and students simply enjoying being together without the pressure of notifications and social media."
Some of the strongest warnings about excessive smartphone use are now coming from young adults themselves. Almost three-quarters of teenagers between age 13 and 17 have encountered one or more potential harms online, with three in five secondary school-aged children being contacted in a way that potentially made them feel uncomfortable.
Drawing on conversations with recent former students, the GDST says many young adults look back on their teenage years wishing they had spent less time online.
"We should be asking the digital natives who argued so vehemently for their online living as teenagers, and who now see its cost on their focus, friendships and identity. They talk about social comparison, online bullying, group chats and feeling pressure to always be available," Cathy said. "Many say they lost hours to scrolling and spent too much time comparing themselves to carefully curated versions of other people's lives online."
The message former students most often give younger pupils is simple: "Spend less time scrolling and more time living."
However, it is important to understand that encouraging healthier phone habits does not mean rejecting technology.
"Phone-free environments during the school day may help create the conditions for deeper concentration, healthier social interaction and improved emotional wellbeing," said Dr Purvis. "This conversation should not be framed as technology versus education, but around how schools can create environments that best support young people's development."
The school says digital literacy remains essential and that technology plays a vital role in education, communication and preparing young people for the future.
"Technology brings enormous benefits," Cathy added. "The goal isn't to remove technology from young people's lives, but to help them develop a healthy relationship with it.
"Young people are still learning how to navigate a digital world designed to capture their attention. Schools and parents have a shared responsibility to help them think critically about what they see online, question the messages they're being shown and develop habits that protect their wellbeing."
With smartphones, social media and artificial intelligence continuing to reshape everyday life, education leaders say helping children build healthy digital habits is becoming one of the defining challenges for parents and schools.
"As adults, we make sure children wear seatbelts, eat well and get enough sleep because we know those things matter to their long-term wellbeing. Healthy digital habits deserve the same attention.
“Our role is to help young people find a balance that allows them to thrive both online and offline,” Cathy concluded.
