Screen time at home, phone bans at school: the contradiction that nobody wants to name
Parents are buying digital learning tools and simultaneously lobbying for technology restrictions. The debate about children and screens is pulling in two directions at once.
By Wistl Editorial · · At Home
Ofsted chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver stated publicly in January 2026 that he fully backed headteachers who choose to ban mobile phones in school. The DfE has been tightening its guidance on mobile phones in schools throughout the academic year. The direction of policy is clearly toward reducing children's exposure to personal devices during the school day, on the grounds that phones are associated with distraction, social media use and reduced concentration. At home, the same policy environment coexists with a growing market for children's educational technology. The subscription-based vid