Mobile Phones in Schools

Josh Fenton-Glynn Excerpts

Tuesday 10th November 2026 Commons Chamber

[Josh MacAlister]

I thank my hon. Friend for his campaigning and leadership on this issue in his constituency. I know that he has an active Smartphone Free Childhood campaign group and that he has been a big advocate with Joe and Daisy, the leaders of the movement. Many hon. Members across the House will be familiar with the campaign; I would not describe it as partisan at all. The campaigners have built a remarkable community behind the change, and the attention that they have brought to this issue has been part of what has shifted politics on it in recent years.

[Josh Fenton-Glynn (Calder Valley) (Lab)]

I welcome these measures. Parents and teachers have called for them. This is the right thing to do.

The Facebook whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams said that Meta would target teenage girls who deleted selfies with advertising for beauty products, skincare and even cosmetic procedures, monetising their insecurity. Tech giants have repeatedly shown that they will not regulate themselves. Is the Minister having conversations with the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to ensure that algorithms are regulated to protect our kids?

[Josh MacAlister]

I thank my hon. Friend for the question. I am familiar with Sarah Wynn-Williams’s book and the claims made in it, which are extremely serious. The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is concerned about the need for the public square, which we find now to be largely online, to reflect the British values we have in everyday life. She is personally passionate about that, and that approach is shaping her attitude towards the forthcoming social media ban.