A bill focused on safeguarding children from the negative impacts of smartphones is set to be introduced on Thursday, with MPs scheduled to vote on it later in the week.
The Safer Phones Bill, proposed by backbench Labour MP Josh MacAlister, will undergo its second reading in the Commons on Friday – providing parliament with the first opportunity to discuss its core principles before determining its further progression.
Last year, Sky News reported that Mr. MacAlister, a former educator, had opted not to pursue a ban on smartphones in schools due to lack of government support, citing that headteachers already have the authority to ban phones, despite it not being a legal requirement.
Instead of the ban, proponents of the bill are hopeful that it will prompt the government to endorse other aspects such as granting enhanced powers for regulator Ofcom to safeguard children from addictive apps, and raising the age at which children can access social media profiles and email accounts from 13 to 16.
A supporter of the bill informed Sky News that the current focus is on securing these reforms, with the expectation that if the government cannot commit to raising the age limit now, they will do so in the future through the Online Safety Act.
The Online Safety Act, enacted under the previous Conservative government, mandates online service providers to minimize the presence of illegal and harmful content.
Although the regulator has stated that its responsibility regarding illegal content will be enforceable around March this year, full implementation of the act is not anticipated until 2026.
Supporters are hopeful that a potential government pledge to review the act and assess Ofcom’s effective use of its powers could be considered.
A supporter of the bill stated to Sky News: “Ofcom is on the brink of acquiring new and untested powers.”
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“We want to keep the issue alive – we know how popular it is among parents and parliament needs to catch up, frankly.”
During the previous Tory government, schools in England received guidelines aimed at curbing mobile phone use in classrooms.
Nevertheless, these guidelines were non-legally binding, leaving individual schools the autonomy to set their own policies.
In a study conducted last year by the Policy Exchange thinktank, schools that effectively prohibited mobile phones achieved better GCSE results compared to those with more lenient policies.
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The thinktank also indicated in its report that secondary schools in England enforcing a phone ban were over twice as likely to receive an outstanding rating from Ofsted as the national average.
Conversely, a recent study by the University of Birmingham concluded that enforcing mobile phone restrictions at school did not enhance academic performance or mental well-being.
The study revealed that students’ sleep patterns, level of physical activity, and academic achievements did not differ significantly between schools with and without phone bans, and that restrictive policies did not reduce the overall time young individuals spent on their phones daily.
The debate surrounding smartphone and social media usage among children and teenagers was reignited following Australia’s decision to prohibit under-16s from having social media accounts.
This legislation is set to take effect in November 2025, compelling platforms to implement age-verification measures.