Most secondary school pupils are opposed to the statutory smartphone ban introduced in English schools this week, with research from University College London branding the policy “overly simplistic” and warning that students view the measures as punitive rather than supportive.
The UCL study, published on Tuesday, the day after the law came into force, surveyed 732 secondary school students aged 11 to 18, as well as 27 teachers and 41 parents using questionnaires, interviews and focus groups. It found a sharp generational divide: 87 per cent of teachers and 88 per cent of parents were in favour of a blanket ban, but three-quarters of pupils disagreed with the policy.
“Adults feel the bans will alleviate disruptions and simplify classroom management,” the report said, “whereas pupils experience smartphones as supporting communication, safety, emotional regulation and everyday organisation.” Students told researchers they relied on their phones for essential tasks such as checking bus timetables, weather forecasts and accessing homework apps. Girls in particular said the devices helped them feel safer when travelling alone.
Professor Jessica Ringrose, lead author of the report and professor of the sociology of gender and education at the UCL Institute of Education, said: “The students we spoke to perceived blanket bans as punitive, rather than supportive. They felt bans undermined trust between them and the adults in their lives, who they felt misunderstood the integral role phones play in their day-to-day routine.”
The study cautioned that outright bans are likely to be ineffective and may drive problems underground. Students warned that while a ban could reduce the visibility of issues such as cyberbullying and sexual harassment at school, it could make those problems harder to report to adults. Co-author Edith Rodda, a PhD candidate at UCL, said: “Rushed school smartphone policies that don’t consider students’ perspectives, however well intentioned, risk creating a cycle of punishment that ultimately undermines the policy’s aims. Students inevitably find workarounds, like breaking open lockable phone pouches.”
The legal framework, introduced under Section 36 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, makes individual schools and trusts responsible for maintaining a phone-free environment throughout the school day from 29 June 2026. The Department for Education’s guidance, updated in January 2026, states that “All schools should be mobile phone-free environments by default; anything other than this should be by exception only”. Ofsted inspectors will formally check compliance. Schools have discretion over how to enforce the policy – some allow pupils to bring phones but require them to be stored in lockers or sealed pouches, others permit only “brick” or “dumb” phones with limited internet access, and a small number ban devices from the premises entirely. Exceptions are made for sixth-form students in designated areas and for medical needs.
Additional research points to a mixed picture. The University of Birmingham’s SMART Schools project, published in March 2026, found that restrictive policies led to more face-to-face socialising but that students compensated by missing sleep or physical activity. The study found no evidence that school phone bans were associated with improved mental wellbeing, anxiety, depression, problematic social media use, sleep health or educational attainment, though it confirmed that longer smartphone use correlates with poorer wellbeing and mental health scores. Meanwhile, a University of York study featured in the documentary Swiped: The School that Banned Smartphones reported that a ban had a positive impact on students’ sleep and mood – participants fell asleep faster and reported reduced feelings of depression and anxiety – but found no significant improvements in cognitive ability within the 21-day trial period.
Public opinion on the issue is divided. A Parentkind poll from March 2024 found that 58 per cent of parents would support a ban on smartphones for under-16s, with 77 per cent of primary school parents backing the idea. However, a National Parents Union poll that same month indicated that 56 per cent believe students should be allowed to use phones sometimes during the school day, such as at lunch or break times.
The UCL report recommends moving away from outright prohibition towards guided engagement, focusing on harm reduction and addressing root causes of digital issues rather than simply their visibility. Co-author Dawn Aytoun, from the education consultancy Life Lessons Education, said: “Schools should encourage students to learn, understand and discuss the ethical, relational and political dimensions of the digital world, as well as the economic models that guide tech companies.”
A Department for Education spokesperson insisted the ban was part of a wider strategy: “We’re using the power of government to drive a culture change that is widely backed by parents and school leaders alike – enabling children to benefit from the best of technology, while protecting them from the worst of it. Banning mobile phones in schools doesn’t sit alone. We’re giving children the skills to navigate the online world safely, introducing the first-ever screen use guidance for parents of five- to 16-year-olds, banning social media proven to harm under-16s, supporting the building of safe AI tutoring tools, and updating the curriculum so every child can identify misinformation and build real media literacy skills.”
