More stories

  • in

    Voices: Addiction, misinformation and bullying: Why Independent readers want phones banned in classrooms

    The debate over children’s access to smartphones and social media has intensified in recent months, with growing concerns from teachers, parents, and experts about how screens are affecting young people’s mental health, behaviour, and ability to learn.In an article for The Independent, a headteacher in St Albans has branded the situation a “crisis,” describing daily issues in school linked to children’s use of WhatsApp, TikTok, and other online platforms.Reports of anxiety, bullying, and inappropriate content involving even very young children have sparked calls for urgent change, with many schools, including those involved in the Smartphone Free Childhood campaign, pushing for stricter rules to protect children both inside and outside the classroom.When we asked for your views on whether smartphones should be banned in schools, 73 per cent said yes, calling them too distracting. Only 8 per cent thought students should be allowed to use mobiles freely, while 18 per cent said they should be banned only during lessons. This split was reflected in the responses we received from readers. While some strongly supported a full ban, warning of addiction and falling attention spans, others believed the issue runs deeper and said better parenting, stronger regulation, and more engaging lessons are needed.Here’s what you had to say:Better regulation neededWe need far better regulation of the internet at all levels, especially for under-18s. The opportunity for bad actors to peddle poisonous, often dangerous misinformation online is legion.So start with banning smartphones in schools, and couple that with a strong message to parents explaining why this is necessary and desirable.As someone who works a lot with computers professionally, when I finish, my desire to “surf the net”, as they say, is limited. I would far rather read.I use WhatsApp as a useful messaging tool with clients and friends, and regard the internet as a very useful reference library. It can have many positives if properly used. This we need to communicate to younger generations, as the dangers of control of people’s minds and actions are all too possible.49ninerIssues existed long before smartphonesWhilst I agree that smartphones aren’t suitable for primary-aged children, there seems to be a lot of selective attention and memory happening here. I was a teacher between 1996 and 2015 in secondary schools and issues with attention, bullying and bad influences were happening before the internet and before smartphones. Misogyny, misinformation, porn and sexual assaults happened in the 80s when I was at school – misogyny and sexual assaults on school premises were probably more prevalent in the 80s than now, as they were ingrained in society at that time.When I was in my first few years of teaching in the late 90s, most children in secondary school had old-style mobile phones and some used them in class – texting under the table. My desk drawer ended up half full of phones, iPods, Tamagotchis in some lessons because children like to see what they can get away with. After I answered kids’ phones a few times in class and embarrassed them, the number of phones I had to confiscate gradually dwindled.We need to give children better things to focus on – a more interesting and varied curriculum that gives them a wide range of skills and interests instead of the tedium of sitting in silence in rows of desks and doing unnecessarily frequent testing. Out of school, there need to be a wide variety of clubs and activities where they can go and mix in person.We also need to make sure parents have the resources, time and skills to be good parents and to give their children the support, education and resources they need to grow up to be well-balanced with a wide range of skills.Create a child-friendly web space where educational and interest-based content is available – the internet can be a force for good as sites like YouTube have some useful content.CScarlettNationwide school ban neededI can’t understand why there isn’t a nationwide ban on smartphones in schools. There is not one argument I’ve heard that substantially supports their use in schools, but I have experienced students who appear addicted to their phones. This has serious implications for communication issues with others.onmyownForbidden fruitWhat is important is to be open about the use of mobile phones and ensure you know what children are doing with them. Parents can use ‘settings’ on their child’s phone to put time limits on activities and restrict use to certain times of day. If they are banned, they become the forbidden fruit and parents and teachers are less likely to know what is going on.R10ImpracticalitiesYes, definitely ban phones in/during the classroom. It will be a waste of effort and time to ban phones during classroom breaks. The enforcement will be impractical.MindTheGapRecognise the fact that smartphone use is an addiction. How many of you drop what you’re doing when your phone pings? How many of you go on your phone when watching TV, reading or listening to the radio, etc?How many of you panic and go on an immediate wild hunt when you can’t find your smartphone in the house? This is how it works – it’s an addiction.JustMeHereSocial media is the problemIt’s not the phones that are the problem. It’s social media. I’d emigrate to any country with an outright ban on social media. It’s made society barely worth living in.AjamesParents should take responsibilityHow about parents start taking responsibility for their children and stop expecting the schools and state to do so. If you think children are better off without phones, then how about being a good parent and not giving them one, or stop them taking it to school?Oh sorry, you expect the state to do all of this, like many parents expect the state to potty train their children.HairyferritIt’s the educators, not the phonesA smartphone is just a mini-computer. They can be used for many classroom purposes, or completely wasted and used for chit-chat. It’s the imagination and creativity of the education professionals that is in question here. Mobile phone applications for the execution of teacher education curricula will be used in other countries.MpA smartphone is practically a laptopI purchased my first “mobile” in 1993. It was sufficient to keep in touch with those I needed to. I am not against children having a “normal” mobile phone – it might even give parents a (false) sense of security – but a smartphone is practically going to school with a laptop and spending time on the internet rather than paying attention to what is going on in the classroom.AlexBRMobiles are used far too much for bullying. They are not needed during studies or even at break times. The distractions mean the UK is heading towards USA levels of attainment over the next few years. Kids use them for social media or playing games, very rarely for research to help with their lessons, and if they want to do research, there is always the school library. Ban them from schools and other places of learning.LadyCrumpsall Some of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity. You can read the full discussion in the comments section of the original article here.The conversation isn’t over. To join in, all you need to do is register your details, then you can take part in the discussion. You can also sign up by clicking ‘log in’ on the top right-hand corner of the screen.Make sure you adhere to our community guidelines, which can be found here. For a full guide on how to comment click here. More

  • in

    Trans woman to hand out disabled toilet keys after Supreme Court ruling leaves ‘no other option’

    A trans woman has resorted to handing out disabled toilet keys after she said the Supreme Court’s ruling on the definition of a woman left her community fearing for their safety and with “no other option”.Sarah Marsh, 55, described it as an “emergency measure” taken after the UK’s highest court confirmed the terms “woman” and “sex” in the 2010 Equality Act “refer to a biological woman and biological sex” in a long-awaited judgment delivered last week. It means that transgender women with a gender recognition certificate, like Ms Marsh, can be excluded from single-sex spaces if “proportionate”. Equalities minister Bridget Phillipson later confirmed that trans women should now use men’s toilets.Sarah Marsh (centre right) with her wife at an Ely Pride march More

  • in

    Social media curfews for children could become law, Labour minister says

    A social media curfew that would see children made to stop using apps like TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat after 10pm could be made law in Britain, the technology secretary has revealed.Peter Kyle said he is “watching very carefully” TikTok’s move to limit usage of its app for users under 16 after 10pm, and examining tools parents could use to switch off access at set times.“These are things I am looking at,” he told the Daily Telegraph, adding: “I’m not going to act on something that will have a profound impact on every single child in the country without making sure that the evidence supports it.”There is increased pressure on ministers to look at how teens use social media amid expert concerns around ‘addiction’, alongside interrupting sleep schedules and disrupting schooling and family life.Mr Kyle said he was considering enforcement options under the Online Safety Act following regulator Ofcom’s publication of the Children’s Code.Technology secretary Peter Kyle says he is is considering a range of measures to protect young people online (PA) More

  • in

    Voices: Should smartphones be banned in schools? Join The Independent Debate

    A growing chorus of voices – from teachers and parents to politicians and tech experts – is calling for action over children’s access to smartphones. At the heart of the debate is a simple but divisive question: should mobile phones be completely banned in schools, or even entirely for children under a certain age?Supporters of a full ban argue that smartphones are fueling distraction, anxiety, bullying, and even violence. One Independent reader, 49niner, emphasised the need for regulation: “We need far better regulation of the internet at all levels, and especially for under 18s. The opportunity for bad actors to peddle poisonous, often dangerous misinformation online is legion.”But critics warn that bans alone don’t address the root causes of digital harm. Another reader – and former teacher – CScarlett pointed out that “misogyny, misinformation and bullying existed long before smartphones,” and argued children need engaging lessons, better support at home, and safe, educational spaces online.With strong arguments on both sides and nearly all secondary school students using smartphones, is a ban a smart way to protect them or just an easy fix for a bigger issue?We want to hear from you. Vote in our poll and share your thoughts in the comments – we’ll feature the most compelling responses and discuss the results in the coming days.All you have to do is sign up and register your details – then you can take part in the debate. You can also sign up by clicking ‘log in’ on the top right-hand corner of the screen. More

  • in

    Thousands protest landmark gender court ruling in outcry against ‘betrayal’ of trans community

    Thousands of protesters have taken to streets across the UK in outcry against the “betrayal” of the trans community after a Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman.Amid fears of “massive” consequences for trans people, a major march in central London is estimated by organisers to have drawn at least 5,000 demonstrators on Saturday, while thousands more gathered in towns and cities up and down the country for dozens of other protests, with more planned in the coming days.Trans rights groups, trade unions and community organisations came together for what was billed as an “emergency demonstration” in Parliament Square, with activists demanding “trans liberation” and “trans rights now”. Some waved flags and held banners, with placards stating “trans rights are human rights” and “trans women are women” seen among the signs being held aloft.Campaigners take part in a rally organised by trans rights groups, trade unions, and community organisations at Parliament Square in central London on Saturday More

  • in

    Race to save British Steel factory after Chinese firm’s ‘sabotage’

    Government officials and British Steel staff are in a desperate race to save its blast furnaces after what ministers believe was a plot to sabotage the Scunthorpe plant by its Chinese owners. A crucial meeting is scheduled for Monday between the firm’s staff and civil servants aimed at rescuing Britain’s last primary steelmaking plant from permanent closure, costing thousands of jobs.The government dramatically took control of the company on Saturday, kicking off a frantic hunt for the securing essential raw materials, including coking coal and iron ore, needed to keep the two blast furnaces at the Scunthorpe plant operational. British Steel needs to secure raw materials for its blast furnaces to prevent its Scunthorpe facility from shutting down irrevocably More

  • in

    Labour confident it can keep British Steel furnaces burning after taking control

    Labour has expressed confidence that enough raw materials can be secured to keep British Steel’s blast furnaces running after the government seized operational control from its Chinese owners.Ministers said British Steel’s owners, China’s Jingye Group, had wanted to shut the furnaces at the Scunthorpe plant after they rejected a government funding proposal, which would have forced Britain to import steel instead.The government recalled parliament at the weekend – the first Saturday recall since the 1982 Falklands War – to give it powers to direct the company’s board and workforce and order raw materials.Jingye has not commented, but China called for fair treatment of its companies and resolution through consultation.Experts say the dispute has risked straining ties between London and Beijing, which Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government had sought to improve. The talks also come at a time when nations around the world are trying to deepen trading cooperation after the US tariff shock.British Steel needs to secure raw materials for its blast furnaces to prevent its Scunthorpe facility from shutting down irrevocably (Danny Lawson/PA) More

  • in

    Voices: Who’s to blame for Birmingham’s bin crisis? Join The Independent Debate

    A month-long strike by refuse workers in Birmingham has left the city grappling with mounting piles of rubbish, growing public health concerns, and a deepening political divide over who is to blame.What began as a dispute over pay cuts has now escalated into a full-blown crisis, with the government deploying military planners to help manage the city’s waste collection efforts. Meanwhile, residents report rats the size of cats, an overwhelming stench in the streets, and a lack of clarity on when the situation will end.With a new ballot on a potential deal due this week, tensions between Birmingham City Council, the Unite union, and national government continue to rise – and now, public opinion is beginning to harden.Some residents back the striking workers, arguing they’re fighting for fair treatment and decent pay, especially after claims that some face losses of up to £8,000 a year. Others are fed up with the disruption and question whether essential services should ever be used as bargaining chips.Debate is also raging over whether the army’s involvement is a step too far, or a necessary measure to protect public health. And as waste collection services across the UK face similar pressures, bigger questions are being asked about privatisation, council budgets, and whether our current model of public service delivery is still fit for purpose.So, what’s your view? Do you support the bin workers’ strike, or do you think it’s gone too far? Should councils be allowed to outsource these services, or is it time to bring them back in-house? And would you accept a different waste model – or even a rise in council tax – if it meant avoiding scenes like this in the future?We want to hear from you. Vote in our poll and share your thoughts in the comments – we’ll feature the most compelling responses and discuss the results in the coming days.All you have to do is sign up and register your details – then you can take part in the debate. You can also sign up by clicking ‘log in’ on the top right-hand corner of the screen. More