The UK schools mobile phone ban: what you need to know

Mobile phones are now banned in schools in England.

The ban began on 1 September 2026 and has become a law as part of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act, passed in April of this year.

The new legislation hasn’t exactly come out of the blue. Before the ban came into force, most schools already had their own version of a phone ban and could decide for themselves whether or not they’d impose a ban on smartphones.

These featured things like special lockers or sealed pouches, or allowed students to keep their phones as long as they didn’t use them.

Now, individual schools and trusts are legally responsible for ensuring that even though students may still be allowed to take their phone to school, they can’t be used, seen or heard throughout the day.

So far, schools in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland aren’t subject to complete bans on mobile phones, though the Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Assembly have issued guidance on the use of mobile phones in schools.

What are the new rules?

• Even though teachers and heads can decide how to make their school phone-free, pupils won’t have access to their phones at all during school days.
• Teachers are also authorised to search a pupil’s bag if they suspect someone is hiding a phone, and can confiscate a phone if it is used during the school day.
• A school can decide whether sixth formers are allowed to bring their own phones to school, but they won’t be able to use them in front of younger pupils. (Schools can also decide how mobile phone use is monitored on school trips.)
• School staff themselves can’t use their phones in front of pupils for personal reasons, unless it’s as part of a lesson or sending homework out.
• Students with other needs and responsibilities – a disability or medical condition for instance – will have permission to use their phone during the day to monitor their condition when necessary.
• There’ll be flexibility for pupils who care for a relative, but not to use their phones whenever they want.
• Boarding and residential schools will have their own rules for phone usage outside of the school day.

The legislation also says that “Pupils should be taught the risks that are associated with the use of mobile phones, both in school and more broadly, to ensure they understand the decision being taken by their school to prohibit the use of mobile phones throughout the school day. These risks can include a loss of focus in lessons, classroom disruption and an increase in bullying.”

What were the rules before the ban?

Before the ban came into forces, new government guidelines were introduced in January 2026, when then Education secretary Bridget Phillipson advised that “schools should develop a mobile phone policy that prohibits the use of mobile phones…including at break times.”

At the time a study from the University of Birmingham assessed over 1,200 students to see how pupils at schools where phones were banned compared with those who were not, to establish how their levels of sleep, behaviour, exercise and screen time are affected.

The study found insufficient evidence that a phone ban would have a big impact on young people’s education and wellbeing. But it did suggest the time teens spent on their phones should be looked at.

Why has the ban been introduced?

There’s good evidence that smartphones (and computers) can be a distraction that diverts a pupil’s attention and interest away from school lessons.

The government says “the risks associated with the use of mobile phones, both in school and more broadly, can include a loss of focus in lessons, classroom disruption and an increase in cyber bullying.”

Clearly there are positive effects of taking a break from technology. Studies by the National Institute for Health and Care Research say teenagers with problematic smartphone use are twice as likely to have anxiety problems.

There are also the dangers of AI use in generating fake news and misinformation on social media, and of some young people becoming addicted to mobile phone use, which is easy to excuse as the new ‘social norm’.

While a ban in schools can help reduce the risks associated with mobile phone use, the wider issue of online safety for young people will remain.