Across the world, momentum is building to restrict children’s use of smartphones and social media. Parents, educators, and child‑health advocates argue that constant connectivity may undermine wellbeing, learning, and healthy development.
Several governments have already banned mobile phones in schools, while some are exploring wider limits on children’s access to social platforms. Technology companies have resisted these measures, denying responsibility for alleged harms in a series of legal challenges.
In the UK, the government is reviewing its approach, with a school‑day phone ban planned in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
What are the facts? What evidence is there that use of smart phones and social media harm children? Are the proposed measures proportionate to the risk? Or are they more likely to be counterproductive?
