📱 Groundbreaking research from the University of Birmingham suggests that banning mobile phones in schools may not be the simple solution many hoped for.
The first-of-its-kind study, examining 1,227 students across 30 different secondary schools, found no significant link between phone bans and improved academic performance or mental wellbeing.
Dr Victoria Goodyear, who led the study, stated: “What we’re suggesting is that those bans in isolation are not enough to tackle the negative impacts.”
The research, published in the Lancet’s journal for European health policy, revealed that schools with phone restrictions showed no measurable improvements in:
- Student grades
- Mental wellbeing
- Sleep patterns
- Classroom behaviour
- Exercise levels
- Overall phone usage
However, the study did confirm that excessive smartphone and social media use generally corresponded with poorer outcomes across all these measures.
Joe Ryrie from Smartphone Free Childhood called the findings “surprising”, noting that the average daily phone usage of four to six hours amongst students was a “terrifying amount of time to spend scrolling or swiping.”
