Union chief calls for legal ban on mobile phones in schools

General Secretary of the National Education Union (NEU) Daniel Kebede has joined growing calls for mobile phones to be banned in schools

General Secretary of the National Education Union (NEU) Daniel Kebede has joined calls for the introduction of a legal ban on mobile phones in schools.

The leader of the UK's largest education union has said it was his "personal view" the government should take a stronger stance.

Under current guidelines, which were introduced under the Conservative government in February 2024, schools were given non-statutory guidance to prohibit the use of phones during the school day.

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This guidance stretches to blocking phone use even during break times with the aim to minimise distractions and reduce bullying, and enhance overall student well-being.

However, the NEU's leader said: "My personal view is I would support a statutory ban on mobile phones in schools. I think it would alleviate pressure from school leaders, teachers, but also parents."

He added that the average 12-year-old "has access to the most hardcore pornography on their mobile phone and that is incredibly damaging to the wellbeing of young boys and their perceptions of women, girls, sex and relationships."

Giving an example of a country the UK should look to, Kebede looked to Australia, where the country's senate has passed a social media ban for children under 16.

The union leader is also calling for a total ban on social media for under-16s, saying: “These organisations, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram and so on, you can really track the crisis in young people’s mental health as they have grown.

"And I think they should be viewed as [similar to] tobacco companies and regulated as such."

His calls come as a national survey found the vast majority of schools have implemented some form of a mobile phone ban already.

The survey, ordered by Rachel de Souza, the children’s commissioner for England, showed that schools have implemented bans on smartphone use during school hours.

The survey of more than 15,000 schools found that 99.8% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools have some form of ban.

Education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said: “While this comprehensive evidence shows our approach of backing headteachers to implement bans in their schools is working, the Tories have been chasing headlines with no care for what’s happening on the ground."