Scottish Labour proposes complete mobile phone ban in schools

Scottish Labour has scheduled a vote to implement a blanket ban on phones in schools to make classrooms a “safe place to learn.”  

Current regulations allow schools and headteachers to exert individual control when deciding what phone restrictions to implement in classrooms.  

Labour said the policy was failing pupils around the country.  

“Classrooms should be safe places to learn,” said Pam Duncan-Glancy, the Scottish Labour education spokesperson. “But under the SNP violence is on the rise, bullying is rife and attention spans are shortening.” 

Current guidelines say that pupils, staff and parents should have confidence that the “respectful and responsible use of mobile phones in schools lays the foundations for schools to positively embrace technology as another learning tool.” 

A survey published in 2024 by the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association, showed that nine out of ten teachers have to interrupt their lesson plan to ask students to put mobile phones away.  

The survey also showed that 90 per cent of teachers worry that pupils have detachment issues when not using their phone and a further 41 per cent worry that pupils are watching inappropriate content in the classroom. 

“Teachers are going above and beyond to support pupils, but they are being let down by a vacuum in leadership from the SNP,” Duncan-Glancy said. “We owe it to the next generation to give them the best-possible education and it is a total dereliction of duty for the SNP to pass the buck on so many of the key issues facing our schools.” 

Support for policies intended to restrict phone usage is high among teachers, with 96 per cent of staff saying they would support measures to limit phone usage in classrooms. A further 37 per cent of teachers would support a blanket ban on phones in school, with 22 per cent backing the idea of a complete ban in classrooms.  

A respondent to the SSTA’s survey said: “The policy has to be Scotland-wide with no room for interpretation. I spoke to one class, and they were on their phones up to eight hours a day! They are hooked on their phones which is incredibly worrying especially when they are not fulfilling their potential”. 

Recent studies show that teachers feel that mobile phone usage in schools can lead to declines in academic performance, mental health and attention problems.  

Concerns are also raised about the impact of social media, with teachers worried that pupils may be using phones to cyberbully their peers in the classroom. 

“Parents and teachers have told us time and time that banning mobile phones would improve our education system overnight,” Duncan-Glancy said. “It’s time for the SNP to listen.” 

The SNP have criticised the proposal, calling it legally unenforceable and a power grab by politicians to take control away from teachers. 

“Labour’s latest stunt puts politicians, not teachers, in charge of classrooms, stripping power from headteachers and centralising decisions that should be made by professionals,” said Paul Mclennan, an SNP member of the Education, Children and Young People Committee. 

“If they really want to support education, they should start by trusting those who work in it every day.”