Mobile phones in schools (England)

Use of mobile phones by children in schools, and whether they should be prohibited, has been a subject of regular debate in recent years. This short briefing provides an overview of the current position in England, recent discussion in parliament, and introduces some relevant research.

Schools policy is a devolved matter, and this briefing focuses on debate in England, but an overview is included of the position in the devolved legislatures.

Current position in England

Section 36 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 requires state-funded schools in England to have regard to published guidance on mobile phones. This gives the guidance on mobile phones in schools the force of law. The provision comes into force on 29 June 2026.

Until this law comes into effect, the existing non-statutory guidance remains in place. In February 2024, the Department for Education published non-statutory guidance that said schools should develop a mobile phone policy that prohibits the use of mobile phones and other smart technology with similar functionality during the school day, including at break times. This guidance was updated in January 2026.

The January 2026 guidance said that “All schools should be mobile phone-free environments by default; anything other than this should be by exception only.”

The guidance sets out the expectation for schools to implement a policy so that pupils do not have access to their mobile phone (or similar devices) throughout the school day including during lessons, the time between lessons, break times and lunchtime. Wider implementation is at schools’ discretion, for instance whether to have lockers for phones that children can use, in order to have their devices while travelling to and from school.

Schools may adapt their policies where necessary for the needs or circumstances of specific pupils.

The January 2026 revised guidance was published alongside a wider announcement of a consultation on children’s social media use, including a potential ban on social media access for children. This announcement included a further relevant change for schools, that Ofsted would begin to assess schools’ mobile phone policies and their implementation as part of every school inspection.

The government has said it expects schools to follow this guidance and that the “overwhelming majority of schools… already have policies in place that limit or restrict the use of mobile phones during the school day.”

During consideration of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill in the House of Lords, the minister, Baroness Smith, said that the government would review the guidance in light of the Department for Education’s annual behaviour survey and make any necessary revisions to the guidance by September 2027.

Education Committee report (2024) and government response

Shortly before the dissolution of parliament for the 2024 general election, the House of Commons Education Committee published a report, Screen time: impacts on education and wellbeing, which said “it is clear that a ban can have a positive impact on the mental health and educational outcomes of children.”

The committee recommended that if the new guidance had not proven effective in twelve months, a statutory ban on phones in schools should be implemented.

In its response to the report, published in May 2025, the government said it would “continue to build a robust evidence base” on the effectiveness of school mobile phone policies, including “a call for evidence which will ask questions about schools policies’ on mobile phones,” but rejected calls for a statutory ban:

The current school-led approach allows schools to ensure their policies reflect school circumstances... A statutory ban to give more force to the existing guidance is not necessary when survey evidence suggests schools are following the guidance already.