Conservative Councillors vow to instigate smart phone bans in local schools

·                  Conservatives councillors pledge to ban smart phones from schools in their areas, backing teachers, tackling bad behaviour and prioritising children's education 

·                  Local leaders will write to schools calling on them to enforce the policy, ensuring children are free of distractions and can focus on learning 

·                  Announcement comes as Conservatives force votes in Parliament tonight for a national ban and to ban social media for under 16s 

Conservative councillors have today [Wednesday 15th April] vowed to instigate smart phone bans in local schools, backing teachers and ensuring children can focus on learning and getting the best possible start in life. 

The pledge comes ahead of votes in the House of Commons on the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill tonight, when MPs will vote on Conservative amendments to ban smart phones in schools and to get under 16s off social media. 

Conservative councillors will write to school leaders in their areas, calling on them to put local children's best interests first and enforce a ban, and pointing to the overwhelming evidence that smart phones are causing harm to children, exposing them to extreme content during the school day and obstructing their education. 

The Conservative Party will back parents and teachers by banning smartphones in schools and restricting social media access for under 16s. Children are not only being exposed to harmful content in the classroom, but also to damaging social media at home. Labour MPs now have a second chance to do the right thing and vote to ban social media for under 16s and smartphones in the classroom, following strong backing for these measures in the Lords.  

Labour have repeatedly kicked the can down the road. They are not consulting on how to implement a ban but on whether they will enact a ban at all. Instead they have chosen inaction, consulting on half baked measures like curfews, which would still see children accessing harmful social media during the school day. The PM is seeking to buy off Labour MPs by forcing them to vote for amendment to give the Government power, but which does not require them to take any action at all. have said they have no view on whether they wish to impose a social media ban and Labour have repeatedly voted against our plans for a ban and to get smartphones out of the classroom.  

The Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson labelled a ban on smartphones in schools a ‘gimmick' and the Prime Minister said it was ‘unnecessary'. Yet even Labour councils are organising bans in coordination with local schools, in Barnet and Enfield.  

The Government's refusal to act comes despite the Department for Education's own evidence showing that phones disrupt nearly half of GCSE classes every day and children at smartphone free schools get 1-2 grades higher at GCSE. The impact of this is clear – with schools where phones are banned achieving results one to two grades higher than schools with more relaxed policies.   

And, critically, growing evidence highlights the benefits of removing smartphones from the classroom in making schools safer. Research from academy trusts and school leaders indicates that bans on phones have led to a 50 to 90 per cent reduction in cases relating to issues like online bullying and sexual exploitation, whilst other schools cited phone bans as one reason for suspensions and detentions dropping by 20 to 30 per cent, creating a better environment for both learning and good behaviour.  

That is why, ahead of the local elections on 7 May 2026, Conservative councils are pledging to use all tools at their disposal to ensure smartphones are banned from local schools, so every child can focus on what matters most: learning. We are the only party prepared to make this pledge. 

The party's plan for a national ban on smartphones in schools was announced last year. Since then the campaign has gained huge momentum, with some polls showing support for Kemi Badenoch's plan from four in five parents. Dozens of Labour MPs have indicated their support too, yet the Government has failed to act. Likewise, there is growing recognition of the damage that social media is doing to children, and growing support for the Conservatives' plan to ban for social media for under-16s. 

These proposals come as evidence mounts that children are now spending record amounts of time online and are frequently being exposed to violent content, pornography and other extreme material, as well as potentially coming into contact with predatory or exploitative adults. 

Labour MPs and those of other parties will get a chance to do right by parents, teachers and children, prioritise their education and support a national ban on smart phones in schools and to ban under-16s from social media in Parliament on Wednesday, sending a message to their own leadership.  

Kemi Badenoch MP, Leader of the Conservative Party, said: 

“Schools are places of learning, and children should not be distracted from that by smartphones. It is common sense, and yet Labour refuse to act. 

“The Conservatives will ban phones in schools and get under 16s off social media, but Keir Starmer and Bridget Philipson continue to drag their heels, announcing endless reviews and consultations. Enough is enough.  

“Under my leadership, we have a clear plan to protect young people and Conservative councils will help deliver that.” 

Laura Trott MP, Shadow Education Secretary, said: 

“We need smartphones out of schools and under 16s off social media. Children are being fed extreme and violent content in and out of the school day. They are causing huge distractions in classroom and exposing children to content that we would never willingly do.  

“Labour need to get a grip. Every day they fail to act more children are being harmed. They are the only party who have voted against plans to ban smartphones from schools and get children off social media. So our local councils are taking matters into their own hands and pledging to fight for bans in their areas. 

“Labour MPs should stop standing in the way of what parents, teachers and children want. They should stand up and be counted.” 

Cllr John Cope, Chairman of Conservative Councillors' Association, said: 

“The evidence on smartphones in schools is crystal clear - they are a distraction from learning and a gateway to the known harms of social media. 

“While Conservatives in parliament have successfully put pressure on the government to tackle this issue, Conservative councils won't wait for Whitehall to act. Where we run a council, we will back local schools and governing bodies that want to introduce smartphone bans, giving children the space to focus, and giving teachers the backing they deserve to bring order to the classroom. 

“This is practical local leadership delivering what families want.” 

ENDS 

Notes to Editors:   

The Conservatives announced their policy to ban smartphones in schools last year to ensure children are not distracted from making the most of their world-class education:   

·        We will ban smartphones from schools to ensure children make the most of their world-class education. With significant evidence of how damaging smartphones can be in the classroom, we have pledged to ban them during the school day, supporting parents, teachers and children.  

Teachers and parents are crying out for smartphones to be banned in the classroom because of their negative impacts on behaviour and performance:  

·        Excessive use of digital devices for leisure in classrooms can negatively impact students' academic performance with over a quarter using their phone several times a day. The OECD's worldwide report highlighted the negative impact excessive use of digital devices for leisure in classrooms can have on students' academic performance with 29 per cent of students reporting that they use their smartphone several times a day, despite a phone ban (OECD, Report, May 2024, link).    

·        Research has proven that schools that had an effective ban were more likely to be rated as ‘Outstanding' by Ofsted and pupils were more likely to receive higher grades. Policy Exchange reported that schools with an effective ban were more than twice as likely to be rated ‘outstanding' by Ofsted as the national average, and children with an effective ban achieved GCSE results that were one to two grades higher compared to children at schools with laxer policies (Policy Exchange, Disconnect: The Case for a Smartphone Ban in Schools, 30 April 2024, link).   

·        83 per cent of parents believe smartphones are potentially harmful to young people. In a report conducted by Parentkind in March 2024, 83 per cent of parents said they felt smartphones are potentially harmful to young people and 89 per cent were concerned about the potential for online bullying and abuse (Parentkind, Report, 19 March 2024, link).   

Labour are failing to do what is needed to protect children across the country:  

·        Labour are not on the side of children after dismissing our smartphone ban in schools ‘a gimmick', despite overwhelming evidence of its harm. The Education Secretary labelled a ban on smartphones in schools as ‘yet another headline-grabbing gimmick', despite evidence proving that schools with an effective ban are twice as likely to be rated ‘outstanding' by Ofsted and pupils received one to two grades higher compared to children at schools with laxer policies (Policy Exchange, Disconnect: The Case for a Smartphone Ban in Schools, 30 April 2024, link; Hansard, 27 January 2025, Vol.761 Col.5, link).  

The Conservatives drove up school standards across the country, ensuring every child has the opportunity of a world-class education:    

·        Drove up school standards across the country with 90 per cent of schools now rated good or outstanding, delivering a world-class education system to our students. Since 2010, during our time in office, we drove up school standards across the country meaning 90 per cent of schools are now rated good or outstanding, up from 68 per cent under the last Labour government (Ofsted, Official Statistics, 14 March 2024, link).  

·        Made England one of the top performing countries for education in the western world. It was under a Conservative government that children in England were named ‘Best in the West' for reading. More recently, children in England were ranked the best at maths in the Western World in the TIMSS 2023 study and moved into the top five in global rankings for science (DfE, Press Release, 5 December 2023, link; The Independent, 4 December 2024, link; Laura Trott, X, 4 December 2024, link).