𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Schools will be urged to ban smartphones in areas controlled by Conservative councils, party leader Kemi Badenoch has announced. The pledge will see blue authorities push for the prohibition in local schools, giving teachers the backing they need to get children away from screens and focusing on the classroom.

It comes ahead of a vote in the House of Commons which will see Tory MPs back moves to bring in a nationwide ban on kids using social media. Tory councillors will write to school leaders and encourage them to enforce a ban in the classroom, citing what the party says is overwhelming evidence that smart phones are harming kids and obstructing their education.

Senior Tories have accused the government of inaction, saying Labour is pursuing half-baked measures like an online curfew which would see kids screen time capped by law. Now Mrs Badenoch is seeking to prohibit kids from making use of their smartphones in school at all, and banning them from social media once and for all.

The Conservative leader said that schools “are places of learning” and that “children should not be distracted from that by smartphones”. She said that banning smartphones from schools was “common sense” and accused Labour of refusing to act.

“The Conservatives will ban phones in schools and get under 16s off social media, but Keir Starmer and Bridget Philipson continue to drag their heels, announcing endless reviews and consultations. Enough is enough.” the Tory leader blasted.

Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott said: “We need smartphones out of schools and under 16s off social media. Children are being fed extreme and violent content in and out of the school day. They are causing huge distractions in the classroom and exposing children to content that we would never willingly do.”

She said that Labour needed to “get a grip” adding: “Every day they fail to act more children are being harmed. They are the only party who have voted against plans to ban smartphones from schools and get children off social media. So our local councils are taking matters into their own hands and pledging to fight for bans in their areas.”

Cllr John Cope, Chairman of Conservative Councillors’ Association, said: “The evidence on smartphones in schools is crystal clear – they are a distraction from learning and a gateway to the known harms of social media.

“While Conservatives in parliament have successfully put pressure on the government to tackle this issue, Conservative councils won’t wait for Whitehall to act. Where we run a council, we will back local schools and governing bodies that want to introduce smartphone bans, giving children the space to focus, and giving teachers the backing they deserve to bring order to the classroom. “

Critics of a ban hit out at the move, with Andy Mayer from the Institute of Economic Affairs saying: “Schools should be free to set their own controls on technology use in line with the needs of the pupils and wishes of the parents. Parents can then choose schools whose policies align with their child’s needs.

“Imposing crude top-down controls is a knee-jerk response to a moral panic whipped up by self-appointed guardians of children’s mental health weaponising extreme cases and vulnerable grieving parents. They cite smoking and drinking bans for children as a relevant comparator, but these are unambiguously harmful and risky activities best left to adults.

“Smartphones and the software on them have unlimited possible uses, nearly all of which are positive; social, entertaining, or educational, and help children understand their world. It is for parents and teachers to educate them about the risk, not censorious campaigners for a better yesterday demanding the state impose digital ignorance on the future.”

The Labour Party was approached for comment.