Social media, mobile phones and the case for clear boundaries in schools

The recent ban on social media use for under-16s in Australia, along with calls to restrict access here in the UK, has brought a familiar issue back into the spotlight. For schools, this debate is not theoretical. We see daily how mobile phones and social media shape young people’s attention, relationships and wellbeing, often in ways that are unhelpful during the school day.

At our school, we made a clear decision three years ago to remove mobile phones from pupils’ days. For pupils in First to Fifth Form, phones are collected at the start of the morning and returned towards the end of the day. Sixth Form students have restricted use, reflecting their greater independence but still within firm boundaries. At the time, we knew this was not a universally popular move, but we felt it was the right one.

This was not our starting point. Previously, pupils were permitted to bring mobile phones into school on the clear understanding that they remained switched off and out of sight throughout the day. While this approach largely worked, it still relied on constant monitoring and placed responsibility on staff to manage an ever-present distraction. We therefore decided to take one step further by removing phones from the school day altogether.

Before implementing the policy, we consulted parents and discussed the issue in depth at senior management team level and with pastoral teams. Eighty-five per cent of parents supported the approach, which gave us confidence to proceed. Even so, any school leader knows that introducing change around phones can feel risky. The fear is often of pushback – from pupils, from parents, or both. In reality, neither materialised. What we noticed instead was a calmer, more focused school day. Lessons felt more purposeful, interruptions reduced and teachers observed fewer requests to leave lessons unnecessarily.

From a pastoral perspective, the impact has been particularly noticeable. We have seen fewer issues linked to social media, including a reduction in incidents involving unpleasant messages or group chat disputes carrying over into school. While phones are still part of pupils’ lives outside school, removing them from the school day has reduced the immediacy and escalation of these issues.

Parents have been strongly supportive, with some citing our approach to mobile phones as a key factor in choosing the school. At a time when many families are concerned about the effect of constant online access on young people, clear boundaries have been welcomed.

With recent government guidance now encouraging schools to prohibit mobile phone use, we recognise that our school may have been ahead of the curve. Three years on, the evidence is clear: removing mobile phones from the school day has had a positive impact on focus, wellbeing and school culture. Sometimes, the most effective support we can offer young people is the space to learn and interact without a screen in their hands.