West Sussex County Council is to appeal to the government to make all primary schools smart-phone free.
The subject was debated during a meeting of the full council on Friday (December 12) having been tabled by John Dabell (Con, East Grinstead Meridian).
Donna Johnson (Green & Independent Alliance, Selsey), said the idea was not a rejection of technology but a ‘very practical, evidence-based step to protect our children’s well-being’.
She added: “Mobile-free environments help reduce bullying and social pressure. Much of the bullying young children experience today occurs digitally, through messaging, group chats and social media features that many young children access far earlier than they are emotionally equipped to handle.
“Banning phones during school hours removes a major channel through which harm can occur.
“It will also reduce the social pressure which children feel to keep up with devices, apps or online trends, allowing them to enjoy school as a safe place.”
Concerns about the impact of social media on children’s emotional health, well-being and learning were raised by councillors in March.
The discussion was triggered following the Netflix drama Adolescence and the Dimbleby Lecture, which saw Sir Gareth Southgate voice the need for better role models for boys and young men than ‘callous, manipulative and toxic influencers’.
Jacquie Russell, cabinet member for children, young people & learning, along with Bob Lanzer, cabinet member for public health & wellbeing, will now write to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson MP to ask the Government to reconsider its position on the matter.
Mrs Russell reported that a health check carried out last Spring showed that half of the children spoken to said they have a smart-phone that can go online.
In Year 4 (8 to 9-year-olds) and Year 6 (10 to 11-year-olds), 53 per cent of boys and 23 per cent of girls said they spend an average of two to three hours gaming online per day.
Some 23 per cent of boys and 7 per cent of girls said they spend more than four hours per day gaming online.
Those figures rise in secondary school and also show that 32 per cent of boys and 61 per cent of girls said they at least ‘sometimes’ struggle with their body image.
In October 2024, Children’s Minister, Josh MacAllister MP, introduced a Private Members’ Bill, which initially aimed to make all schools phone-free zones during the school day, raise the age of internet adulthood from 13 to 16 and strengthen Ofcom’s powers to protect children from addictive apps.
But the Bill was withdrawn in September.
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