The policy landscape on smartphones in schools and social media for children is finally beginning to shift here, as it has in other countries.
In recent weeks, the Government has conceded two significant points during the passage of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. Changes that I, and many colleagues, have long advocated (see clip above).
First, they have finally agreed that prevention of usage of smartphones in school should be written into law, not just ‘guidance’. There’s more work to do to ensure it is a truly effective ‘bell to bell’ ban. Many parents understandably do want their children to have their phone for travel to and from school. Local schools have shown this can be done and work well. In Parliament I cited the case of The Petersfield School and how they have manged to bring in a ‘lock away’ ban at very reasonable cost.
Second, ministers have now agreed to introduce “some form” of restrictions on social media for under-16s, despite months of insisting they would wait for the outcome of their consultation before making any decision. The detail still needs to be worked through - what exactly these restrictions will look like and/or what is included in a ban, how they will be enforced, and the timetable for implementation. Nonetheless, this represents a big step forward for those campaigning to protect children from harmful and addictive online content, including many of the parents I recently met at meetings in Alton and Petersfield. I’m grateful to the parents who attended these meetings and the many hundreds who have written to me on this subject.
The key thing is that the government has moved from “whether” to “how”.
There is more pressure to be put on the government to ensure that protections are robust, and that social media platforms are actually enforcing age requirements. We must also remember that, while this is about under 16s, our responsibility to protect children extends to 18, and we need to ensure 16- and 17-year-olds can also be safe online. Amongst other things, this means effective enforcement of the Online Safety Act and privacy law, and strengthening these when appropriate.
Even so, these changes move us firmly in the right direction. They give teachers the legal backing they have been asking for and make it easier for parents to support firm boundaries.
But this is not the end of the debate.
The Government’s proposed timetable on social media remains too slow. There is a risk that momentum will be lost.
Parents, teachers and health professionals, many of whom see first-hand the impact of harmful online content, do not want to wait years for action. Nor should they have to.
We have made real progress in recent weeks. Now we must ensure it leads to meaningful and timely change, for parents and children.
