Strict phone bans at school are not enough to tackle the harmful effects of children’s screen time alone, new research suggests.
First seen exclusively by the BBC, a new study from academics at the University of Birmingham found strict phone bans were not a “silver bullet”, and in some cases did not stop teenagers prioritising screen time over sleep, homework and physical activity outside school.
Across the UK, there has been growing pressure on the government to bring in a statutory ban of smartphones in schools.
The Department for Education (DfE) says phones “have no place in classrooms”, adding that its non-statutory guidance helps schools to “implement phone-free policies effectively”