City headteachers suggest banning smartphones for U-14s

If you have a smartphone, how would you feel about being told you can no longer use it at school?

A group of headteachers in one city in England is now asking parents not to let their children have a smartphone until they are 14.

Most of the primary school headteachers in the city say they are backing the ban, as they are worried children are exposed "to a number of negative risks" when using smartphones.

We want to know what you think about the idea of smartphones being banned for kids aged 14 and under?

Have your say in our vote and let us know what you think in the comments below.

In a letter to parents, St Albans Primary Schools Consortium suggested that smartphones shouldn't be given to students until Year 9.

"We know that in our schools some children as young as Key Stage 1 have smartphones," the letter read.

The headteachers added that, while phones can be useful for parents to keep in contact while their children are away from home, phones "do not need to have access to the internet" to keep children safe.

"As head teachers, we have committed to promoting our own schools as smartphone-free."

The letter was signed by 20 of the 24 primary school headteachers in the city.

Research from Ofcom (the Office of Communications) - which oversees TV, radio and internet services in the UK - found that 91% of 11-year-olds own a smartphone in the UK.

And earlier this year, Ofcom released a report which found that nearly one quarter of kids aged between 5 and 7 have a smartphone of their own.

What are the rules about using smartphones in school?

In 2018 the French Government brought in a law banning phones for children under the age of 15, it was to help stop pupils being distracted during class.

But there are no similar laws about smartphones in the UK.

A survey of teachers from January 2023 suggested that almost all schools have rules about phones.

Last year in the town of Greystones in Ireland, parents from eight primary schools teamed up to ban smartphones for children.

They thought the rule would help protect young people from seeing content online that's too old for them.

What do you think about the ban on smartphones being introduced in St Albans? Do you think it will work? Does your school have rules about smartphones?

Let us know in the comments.