The benefits of smartphone free schools
Headteachers consistently say that when phones are removed from the school day children are more engaged and learn better and teachers find it easier to their job.
- Better learning: Children at smartphone free schools achieve GCSE results 1-2 grades higher than those where they can access their phones.​
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​​A stronger culture: in 2024 headteachers told the Department for Education that when phones are removed from the school day, “the whole culture of the school changes for the better.”
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​​Improved mental health: When phones are removed from the school day, mental health improves.
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​Less cyber-bullying: A study in Norway found that removing phones from schools reduced bullying by 43-46%.
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Better behaviour: The majority of schools who have gone smartphone free report a significant improvement in behaviour within weeks.
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​​Empowered parents: One poll of parents found that 62% would have felt empowered to delay giving their child a smartphone if devices had been banned in school. ​​
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​​A new norm: Educators have an opportunity to help reset the norm around when children first receive a smartphone. If parents and schools work together, we can protect childhood for longer.
“Young people are now under so much pressure to keep up with their shallow network connections and the latest TikTok videos that they have far less time to deeply connect, in a human way, with the children sitting right beside them.”
Jonathan Haidt, The Anxious Generation