We banned phones in schools, but the internet is still wide open.
"We're not finding the children who need us - we're finding reasons to feel like we tried."
By Ruth Sparkes · · Opinion
Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act is now in force, making it law that state schools in England must operate as mobile phone-free environments. A University College London warned that blanket bans are "ineffective" and "overly simplistic" and that they can actually make children less likely to report harm, a phenomenon the researchers call a "displacement effect." The platforms remain, the content remains, the harm remains - we've just made it less visible. I understand why this feels like action. 87 per cent of teachers and 88 per cent of parents back it, according to the same study. I've s