A school phone ban is long overdue

Around the time my eldest son started secondary school, I had a worrying glimpse into his private life. We’d put him to bed at 9 p.m. but asked that he leave his mobile, one of my old iPhones, downstairs next to me. I was horrified to see the non-stop barrage of messages coming in as late as midnight. These children – all just 11 or 12-years-old – clearly were not asleep as they should have been on a school night. Other parents, with children as young as six, say they’ve experienced similar realisations.  

I heartily wish my son’s school had banned smartphones during the school day, something the government has now said it will ask schools to consider. The reason we’d grudgingly let our son trade in his brick for a smartphone was because by not having one he was missing out on nearly all of the social side of school – party planning, homework, gossip and everything else that children get up to was happening on WhatsApp.