Majority of parents back government mandated school phone ban - and dispute Prime Minister’s claim that “almost every school” already bans phones

48% of parents say their child’s school allows students to keep their phones with them on the proviso they shouldn’t be seen or heard - a policy that more than half of parents (52%) say is ineffective in preventing pupils from using phones during the school day.

15% of parents said their school permits pupils to use phones at breaktimes or for specific purposes in lessons, with 1% reporting that their child’s school permits students to freely use phones.

Just 5% of parents said their child’s school totally bans phones from the premises, and only 27% said pupils have to hand phones in or lock them away for the duration of the school day.

When asked for their view on whether phones should be allowed in schools, the majority of parents thought they should either be completely banned from school premises (17%) or that they should be handed in or locked away during school hours (49%). Just 18% of parents said students should be able to keep their phones with them on the proviso they shouldn’t be seen or heard.

60% of parents said the government should take responsibility for enforcing a ban, rather than leaving it up to individual schools.

Justine Roberts, Mumsnet founder and CEO, said:

“It’s clear that the government’s lackadaisical approach to phones in schools has led to the majority of students having access to their phone in school hours.

“Parents are crying out for more support from politicians and policy makers to help tackle the addictive effect of social media and smartphones on the still-developing brains of their children. The government should start by stepping up and supporting teachers to enforce a proper ban on phones in schools”.

Survey of 1012 Mumsnet users with a child/children in secondary school, March/April 2025