Schools: Mobile Phones

Earl of Effingham Excerpts

Thursday 28th November 2024 Lords Chamber

[The Earl of Effingham (Con)]

My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Kidron, for securing this debate, which I believe is incredibly important for the future well-being and success of our younger generations. I congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Cass, on her maiden speech.

I start with some alarming statistics. One out of every two teenagers feel addicted to their smartphones; 60% of parents feel that their children are addicted to them; and 77% of parents feel that their child gets distracted by his or her devices, and does not pay attention when they are together, at least a few times per week. In a recent school assembly on smartphones and social media, 240 year 7 students were asked, “Who has a smartphone?” Almost every hand went up. They were then asked, “Who here was awoken last night by a notification on their smartphone?” Sadly, half of them raised their hands. Around one in five adolescents in England has been cyberbullied.

When we check our smartphones, our brains release a small amount of dopamine, and that dopamine motivates us to take action. Each time we hear a notification, we check our device. The huge issue is that the dopamine boost is temporary and leads to a letdown. Our brains want more dopamine, which triggers the habit of checking our phones constantly throughout the day. We should listen to Josh MacAlister, a former teacher who now resides in the other place. He is clear that there is a growing body of evidence showing that smartphones—and social media in particular—are negatively impacting children’s mental health, sleep and learning.

It was confirmed only a few hours ago that Australia will ban children under 16 years old from using social media, after its Senate approved the world’s strictest laws in this area. Some Los Angeles schools are banning smartphones, as the leaders of the schools believe that it will unlock creativity and connection. I know first hand from two large independent schools in the UK, both of which now have a policy of banning smartphones for certain year groups at certain parts of the day, that it works. The results show that the students talk to each, interact socially and want to do more drama, art and sport.

I am not suggesting that there are no benefits to children having smartphones—the world has changed dramatically in the past 20 years and social norms have changed with it—but why would you allow a child to have an addictive device in a classroom, when that child should be learning and building on the foundations of knowledge that will empower them for the rest of their lives? I have a simple question for the Minister: given all the evidence available, why would the Government not want to ban smartphones in the classroom?