'Less distraction' - Exeter residents back plans for legally enforced school phone ban

The government has announced plans to make smartphone bans in English schools a legal requirement, backing up existing guidance with the full force of law. 

Education minister Baroness Jacqui Smith told the House of Lords on Monday (April 20) that the government would table an amendment to its landmark Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, "creating a clear legal requirement for schools" to prohibit the use and possession of smartphones during the school day.

The Department for Education (DfE) said the move would give "legal force to what schools are already doing in practice." Revised guidance on mobile phones in schools was published in January 2026, with schools advised to adopt it from April 2026.

Under the proposed amendment, Lords Amendment 106, all schools in England would be required to introduce a ban on smartphone use and possession during the school day within 12 months of the Bill becoming law.

The school day is defined as the period between the start of the first lesson and the end of the final lesson.

The amendment defines a smartphone as "a mobile telephone that is able to connect to the internet and whose main purpose is not the support of learning or study."

Exemptions would be permitted for medical devices, and sixth-form students could be treated differently in some circumstances, provided this does not undermine the wider policy.

The move comes despite the Commons previously disagreeing with the Lords amendment, with MPs arguing the change was "not necessary in light of the existing guidance."

Local reaction: Exeter MP backs the Bill

Exeter MP Steve Race welcomed the legislation, telling Exeter Today: "The landmark Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill is the biggest improvement to child safeguarding law in decades, and it's important to remember that opposition parties voted to block the Bill when it was introduced to parliament, including all five Reform MPs."

Mr Race, who says he has visited every school in Exeter, noted that the city's schools are already following the existing guidance.

"Putting this guidance on a statutory footing means schools have the full backing of the law to enforce them, though I have yet to hear of any issue with enforcement," he said.

The MP also pointed to broader concerns about online safety, adding: "We also need to work hard to make sure that platforms are safe for young people, and that they don't have access to content that is illegal or harmful. I'm pleased that the Online Safety Act has gone a long way to making this a reality."

Mr Race said he has been running a consultation on young people's use of social media to gather local views, with hundreds of responses received so far. "I'm pleased that the Government is listening to parents and teachers, taking concrete steps to protect children and providing clear advice to parents to help them talk to their children about harmful online content," he said.

What local people think

Reactions from Exeter residents have been broadly supportive of restricting phones during school hours, though some questioned whether smartphones are necessary at all for school-age children.

Anne-Marie Stevens said: "It's better to only have them on the way to and after school. Less of a distraction."

Angela Relle said: "You don't need a smartphone to contact your child, a normal old-style mobile phone would be fine. And I'm not sure we need to be in contact with our children 24/7."

David Dale drew on his own childhood experience: "When I was walking home from school in the 50s and 60s we didn't have phones. It is a perceived worry that children need to be in contact at all times with their parents. I don't think it is any more dangerous than it was when I was a child. If you have to get your child a phone for contact, you don't need a smartphone, which brings more things to worry about, like social media bullying or being beaten up for an expensive device."

What happens next

The amendment still needs to pass as part of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill. Once enacted, schools would have 12 months to introduce a compliant policy. Boarding and residential schools would be permitted to include additional guidance covering device use outside lesson hours, provided their policies safeguard children's welfare.