In an effort to reduce children’s exposure to online hazards, schools are enacting smartphone-free rules, but educators and parents are concerned that the Online Safety Act would only partially address issues.
Parents and educators believe more needs to be done to shield kids and teens from the different threats they face online as the UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA) nears its first anniversary.
The necessity for stricter regulations around smartphone and social media use in schools is specifically mentioned, as it prompted two parents to form the Smartphone Free Childhood (SFC) group in February 2024.
Since then, the organization has grown significantly; at the time of writing, there were 150,000 parent members around the UK. The group describes itself as “a grassroots movement on a mission to challenge Big Tech’s colonization of childhood.”
The prevalence of cyberbullying, the danger of children being exposed to harmful content through messaging apps and algorithms, the “intentionally” addictive design choices of tech companies that aim to harvest ever-increasing amounts of data for profit, and the rising rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide among children since the introduction of smartphones are just a few of the issues they are concerned about.
Parents and educators say there is growing evidence that, despite any good intentions, the online world continues to have a variety of negative effects on young people. The UK is among the first countries to attempt to regulate global social media platforms like Meta, X, TikTok, and YouTube. As early as 2025, the online harms regulator Ofcom may prosecute these companies for failing to address illegal content, with the possibility of million-pound fines and criminal sanctions against high-ranking social media platform employees.
For instance, a global survey conducted in 44 countries and released last month showed that children’s problematic internet use is on the rise, underscoring the urgent need for safer platforms for youth. The largest social media companies in the US are facing legal prosecution for failing to safeguard children and for failing to take action against dangerous information. Forty-two attorney generals sued Meta in 2023, claiming that its features were child-targeting and addicting.
According to Clare Fernyhough, co-founder of SFC, “the Online Safety Act is a crucial first step, but it will only partially address the harms currently being inflicted on children through smartphones and social media.” It’s unclear if the act would address the “addictive by design” characteristics of social media and cell phones, which means tech corporations will continue to profit handsomely from having our kids online all the time. Given that some kids use their phones for up to nine hours per day, there is a significant opportunity cost associated with these gadgets.
Since the start of SFC, many schools have tried to implement smartphone-free policies in response to the persistent worries about the proliferation of internet dangers and the use of smartphones in particular.
For instance, 20 primary schools in St. Albans announced intentions to do away with smartphones in May 2024, while Ormiston Academies said in September that all 44 of its state schools will be smartphone-free.
Schools go smartphone-free
For years, we enforced the “phone turned off and in your bag” rule. According to Damien McBeath, head teacher of John Wallis Academy, which instituted its own smartphone-free policy in January, just before SFC was established, “it was totally ineffective.” “Since COVID, we have witnessed a significant decrease in socially acceptable behavior, including numerous TikTok trends, students crowding into restroom cubicles, and instances of online predators stealing students’ attention.”
McBeath says that cell phones have been “a tidal wave of issues and disruption” throughout his 25 years as a head teacher.
A formal Smartphone Free Schools campaign was also started by SFC in October 2024, and it has already encouraged many other schools to try the policy. According to SFC, other educators share McBeath’s worries and have contacted the group for advice and assistance.
We have received several accounts from educators who are struggling with the negative impacts of cell phones, ranging from sharing improper information and being distracted during class to engaging in cyberbullying. Fernyhough thinks that the government must act quickly to address this pressing issue.
According to Will Orr-Ewing, the Smartphone Free Schools campaign’s school engagement lead, the typical child receives hundreds of notifications on their phone throughout the school day. This constant demand for their attention causes them to check their phone whenever they are not in a teacher’s direct line of sight, particularly during breaks and in the restroom.
“For this reason, we advise schools to come up with strategies to keep kids’ phones off their person for the entire seven-hour school day. These strategies could include using lockers or pouches, or they could even forbid kids from bringing smartphones to school altogether and suggest brick phones for travel.”
Both students and staff have benefited greatly since John Wallis Academy implemented the smartphone-free policy. For example, detentions have decreased by 40%, in-school truancy has decreased by 80%, and staff turnover has decreased from 30% to 17%.
Teachers and campaigners think that more government backing might result in change on a national level. Only 11% of UK schools now have any real limitations on smartphones. Headteachers, governing bodies, and local councils urged the government to provide funds to help schools that want to eliminate smartphones in an open letter to the Department of Education in October.
A new Online Safety Act needed?
In addition to parents and educators, civil society organizations have expressed dissatisfaction with the planned implementation of the UK’s Online Safety Act. During the act’s continuing consultation, these groups have argued that more rules regarding online safety are necessary.
For instance, the digital safety charity 5Rights asserts that Ofcom’s present plans are insufficient and superficial, failing to address the requirements of children and the demands of parents, teachers, civil society, and lawmakers.
In a similar vein, digital secretary Peter Kyle told Laura Kuenssberg of the BBC that he will “close loopholes” in the Online Safety Act, which is headed by the Conservative government. He also stated that the tech industry is the “only sector… that can release products into society without proving they’re safe before release.”
The public is also in favor of stricter legislation. For instance, a recent survey conducted by the Molly Rose Foundation found that a new Online Safety legislation is strongly supported by the public and parents, with 80% of people and 84% of parents supporting the legislation to improve online safety measures.
Josh MacAlister, a Labour MP, has introduced a Private Members Bill that may raise the legal age of online maturity from 13 to 16 and provide government guidelines on smartphone use in schools. The former teacher and MP were outspoken about the significance of this legislation, especially for underprivileged kids.
A code of conduct to address the addictive nature of social media sites like Instagram and TikTok is another goal of the measure, which also seeks to increase the authority of regulator Ofcom.
Both nations agree that risk-based safety, privacy, and inclusivity-by-design approaches throughout design, development, and deployment are essential to children’s safety and well-being online, along with increased transparency and accountability from online platforms. This agreement echoed concerns about addictive design models.