Fathers plan legal action to get smartphones banned in England’s schools
Will Orr-Ewing and Pete Montgomery wrote to the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, on Friday warning that they would seek a judicial review. They argue that current guidance, which allows headteachers to decide how smartphones are used, is unlawful and unsafe for children.
The Department for Education now has 14 days to officially respond to the letter, after which point the claimants can issue judicial review proceedings.
The DfE said schools already had the power to ban phones and it was bringing in “better protections” from harmful content through the Online Safety Act.
A national survey ordered by Rachel de Souza, the children’s commissioner for England, published in April revealed that 90% of all schools in England have banned mobile phone use by pupils. The survey found that 79% of secondary schools allowed students to keep their phones while banning their use or display, while 8% required phones to be handed in, and 3% stopped pupils from bringing them to school altogether.
The two fathers, who have brought their claim under the name Generation Alpha, argue that smartphones are still being used dangerously and the safest approach for children would be a complete ban on smartphones in schools.
