Restricting mobile phones at school does not improve grades or mental wellbeing, a landmark new study has found.
The Conservative government put out formal guidance on how to ban mobile phones in schools almost exactly a year ago. It included advice on how to search students and their bags for devices “if necessary”.
But new evidence from the University of Birmingham has found students’ levels of sleep, exercise, academic record, and exercise did not differ between schools with and without phone bans.
The study also found restrictive phone policies did not lower the overall time young people spend on their phones each day.
The research, which has been peer-reviewed, compared 1,227 students and 30 different secondary schools.
It appears to contradict a study from last summer that found schools that effectively ban mobile phones see better GCSE results.
“There is no evidence to support that restrictive school phone policies, in their current forms, have a beneficial effect on adolescents’ mental health and wellbeing or related outcomes,” the study concluded.
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It did, however, find that increased screen time impacted the mental health of students, as well as their classroom behaviour, physical activity levels and sleep cycles.
Dr Victoria Goodyear, the study’s lead author, told the BBC that school phone bans were not enough to tackle the negative impacts of mobile phone over-usage.
“This approach does not necessarily preclude restrictive school mobile phone policies,” the study concluded.
“But these policies would be linked with a wider holistic approach to adolescent mobile phone and social media use.”
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The research comes days after the education secretary branded a Conservative party proposal to ban phones in classrooms a “headline-grabbing gimmick”.
Bridget Phillipson said she agreed that mobile phones should not be in lessons, but added the opposition was wrong to say it could only be done by introducing legislation.
