That smartphones cause problems in schools is not a novel observation. It is roughly a decade since they became ubiquitous in the UK – along with many other countries – including among teenagers. Since then, day-to-day experience and research have created widespread awareness of the social and behavioural difficulties with which they are linked – despite their huge popularity and undoubted entertainment value.
Most secondary schools have clear policies about mobile phone use. Hardly any permit it during lessons, although rules about break times are variable. So the announcement by the education secretary, Gillian Keegan, that the government is to issue a ban in England, deserves to be viewed as a political stunt rather than a serious contribution to schools policy.
The idea itself is not a bad one. Government guidance can play a role in shaping public understanding on tricky issues like this one, where social norms are developing around what is still a new technology. A clear instruction from ministers that smartphones should be off-limits throughout the school day, and not just in classrooms, should make it easier for headteachers to make this a rule and insist that it is kept. But the fact that this was the measure trailed in advance of Ms Keegan’s speech to her party’s conference only goes to show how little she has to show for her first year in the job. The reality is that the Conservatives’ record on schools is one of failure.
Problems including the shortage of teachers, and particularly experienced teachers, require not just attention but a detailed response from ministers. A recently agreed 6.5% pay rise indicated that they are not completely in denial. But with the number of teachers quitting at a record-high level – almost 9% of the entire workforce resigned last year – the idea that smartphones are the main problem facing schools would be laughable if it weren’t insulting. The state of school buildings points to another grave lapse by policymakers. Last month it was revealed that 174 schools have sections made from reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac), a material with a short lifespan that should have been scheduled for replacement as part of a long-term plan.
There are worrying indications too about pupil behaviour. A recent survey of more than 6,000 teachers by the NASUWT, a union, found that 90% of respondents had experienced verbal abuse or violence from pupils, with 37% specifying that they had been physically attacked, and 89% saying that the number of violent pupils has increased. These are appalling findings, and the union’s call for clearer government guidance on behaviour management, in particular the use of suspensions and exclusions, should command attention.
Social media use is one factor cited by teachers in this context, along with vaping and worsening mental health. The impact of smartphones on concentration, as well as the way they distract from real-life interactions and enable bullying, should be taken seriously. Regulation of the internet has been far too lax, and parts of the delayed online safety bill should increase protections. But the impact of the pandemic on children’s social skills, and the need for effective behaviour policies, are seen as higher priorities by those working in schools. The fact that this isn’t reflected more strongly by Ms Keegan is an indictment not just of her short tenure in the education department, but of the Conservatives’ poor overall approach to schools in England.
