As the UK's Online Safety Act (OSA) approaches its first birthday, parents and teachers insist more must be done to protect young people and children from the various risks they are facing online.
In particular, they cite the need for tighter measures around smartphone and social media use in schools, which led two parents to create the Smartphone Free Childhood (SFC) group in February 2024.
Since then, the group – which characterizes itself as “a grassroots movement on a mission to challenge Big Tech's colonization of childhood” – has expanded massively, with 150,000 parent members across the UK at the time of publication.
Their concerns cover a range of areas, including the increasing rates of depression, anxiety and suicide among children since smartphones were introduced, the pervasive effects of cyber bullying, the risk of children being exposed to harmful content via algorithms and messaging apps, and the “ “intentionally” addictive design choices of tech companies that are intended to harvest ever-increasing amounts of data for profit.
While the UK is one of the first countries to attempt to regulate global social media platforms such as Meta, the possibility of million-pound fines and criminal sanctions against high-ranking social media platform employees – parents and teachers say there is mounting evidence that, despite any good intentions, the online world continues to have a range of harmful effects on young people.
An international study across 44 countries published last month, for example, revealed a growing rate of problematic internet use in childrenrevealing the dire need for safer platforms for young people. In the US, legal action against the biggest social media platforms is unfolding over their inaction on harmful content and failure to protect children. In 2023, 42 attorney generals sued Meta, alleging addictive features that target children.
Although the Online Safety Act is an important first step, it will only partially address the harms currently being inflicted on children through smartphones and social media.
Clare Fernyhough, Smartphone Free Childhood
“Although the Online Safety Act is an important first step, it will only partially address the harms currently being inflicted on children through smartphones and social media,” says Clare Fernyhough, co-founder of SFC. “It's not clear the act will address the 'addictive by design' nature of both smartphones and social media platforms, meaning tech companies will continue to make billions from keeping our children constantly online. With some children spending as much as nine hours a day on their phones, the opportunity cost these devices carry is enormous.”
Given the ongoing concerns over the spread of online harms, and the role of smartphones in particular, the inception of SFC has prompted many schools to attempt going smartphone-free.
In May 2024, for example, 20 primary schools across St Albans announced plans to ditch smartphones, and in September, Ormiston academies announced the decision to go smartphone-free across its 44 state schools,
Schools go smartphone-free
“We had a 'phone switched off and in your bag' policy for years. It was completely ineffective,” says Damien McBeath, head teacher at John Wallis Academy, which launched its own smartphone-free policy in January, shortly before the formation of SFC. “Since Covid, we have seen a real decline in socially acceptable behavior – lots of TikTok trends, pupils bundling into toilet cubicles, incidents of online predators – sapping pupils' attention.”
In his 25 years as a head teacher, McBeath adds smartphones have been “a tidal wave of issues and disruption”.
In October 2024, SFC also launched a formal Smartphone Free Schools campaign, which has already inspired a number of other schools to attempt the policy. SFC says the concerns McBeath has are echoed by other teachers, who have reached out to the group for guidance and support.
“We have been inundated with stories from teachers grappling with the effects of smartphones, from distraction in lessons to cyber bullying and sharing of inappropriate content. This is an urgent situation that needs immediate government support,” says Fernyhough.
Will Orr-Ewing, schools engagement lead for the Smartphone Free Schools campaign, adds: “The average child gets hundreds of notifications on their phone throughout the school day – a constant call on their attention, which leads them to check their phone whenever they are out of a teacher's eyeline, especially in bathrooms and breaktimes.
The average child gets hundreds of notifications on their phone throughout the school day – a constant call on their attention.
Will Orr-Ewing, Smartphone Free Schools campaign
“That is why we recommend that schools devise ways to take the phone off the child's person for the full seven hours of the school day – either by use of pouches or lockers, or by prohibiting children from bringing in a smartphone at all, and recommending brick phones for travel instead.”
Since adopting the smartphone-free policy, John Wallis Academy claims it has seen immense benefits both for pupils and staff, including a 40% reduction in the number of detentions, an 80% reduction in the rate of in-school truancy, and a reduction in staff turnover from 30% to 17%.
Campaigners and teachers believe broader support from the government could lead to nationwide change. Currently, just 11% of UK schools have effective smartphone restrictions in place. In an open letter to the Department for Education in October, head teachers, governing bodies and local councils urged the government to commit funding to support schools that aim to go smartphone-free.
A new Online Safety Act needed?
Aside from parents and teachers, the proposed implementation of the UK's Online Safety Act has also been met with discontent from civil society groups, who have argued during the act's ongoing consultation that there is a need for tougher laws around online safety.
Digital safety charity 5Rightsfor example, claims: “Ofcom's proposals as currently drafted are light-touch and incomplete, and fail to meet the needs of children and the expectations of parliamentarians, civil society, parents and teachers.”
Digital secretary Peter Kyle similarly told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg that he was going to “close loopholes” in the Conservative government-led Online Safety Act, adding that the tech sector is the “only sector … that can release products into society without proving.” they're safe before release”.
Support for more stringent legislation is also echoed by the public. Recent polling from the Molly Rose Foundation, for example, revealed overwhelming public and parental support for a new Online Safety Act, with 84% of parents and 80% of adults backing a new act to strengthen online security measures.
Labor MP Josh MacAlister has also recently launched a Private Members Billwhich could potentially lead to providing statutory guidance on smartphone use in schools, and increasing the age of internet adulthood from 13 to 16. The MP – and former teacher – was vocal on the importance of this policy for disadvantaged children in particular.
The bill also aims to strengthen regulator Ofcom's powers so that it can enforce a code of conduct to tackle the addictive-by-design nature of social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.
Concerns around addictive design models were echoed in a joint agreement on online safety from the UK and US governments, stating: “Both countries acknowledge that risk-based and safety, privacy and inclusivity-by-design approaches throughout design, development and deployment are fundamental to children's safety and well-being online, alongside increased transparency and accountability from online platforms.”
