Phones away: a mixed methods study exploring secondary school pupil and staff perspectives on tighter mobile phone restrictions

There has been much debate in the last five years about the use of mobile phones in schools. Many secondary schools across the world have been introducing mobile phone bans. In the UK, numerous schools have considered further restrictions since the government published guidance in February 2024 which recommends against the use of mobile phones during the school day. However, at present approaches to mobile phone use in schools have been inconsistent and there is a lack of empirical evidence as to the impact of mobile phone restrictions have on a range of factors thought to be influenced by mobile phone use. This research investigated the impact of tighter restrictions on mobile phone use in a secondary school, looking at factors such as attention/concentration in class, behaviour, wellbeing, cyberbullying, physical activity, screen time and social interactions in school. A pre- and post- measure survey was completed by pupils in school, to look at their views before and after mobile phone policy changes. Focus groups with staff and pupils were then conducted to gather their views on the use of mobile phones in school and their perspectives on the findings from the survey. Descriptive statistics were produced for the survey data, and a thematic analysis was used to analyse data gathered from the focus group. Findings showed that most pupils do not feel that mobile phone restrictions have made a difference to factors investigated. School staff were predominately against the use of mobile phones in schools with concerns about safety and classroom distraction. Whereas pupils mostly felt that mobile phones should be used in school within reason. The difference in staff and pupil perspectives highlights the importance of involving the views of pupils in policy formation. Future research could look at longer follow-up periods to review impact and involve parent views.