As the UK’s Online Safety Act gets closer to its first anniversary, parents and teachers are pushing for stronger protections for children facing online dangers. They’re especially worried about how smartphones and social media are used in schools. This concern inspired two parents to start the Smartphone Free Childhood (SFC) group in February 2024. The group has quickly grown to 150,000 members across the UK, united by the desire to reclaim childhood from what they see as the overwhelming influence of tech companies.
Parents voice their worries about rising mental health issues among children tied to smartphone use, such as higher rates of depression and anxiety. They’re also alarmed by cyberbullying, exposure to harmful content via algorithms, and the manipulative design choices from tech firms that profit from keeping kids glued to their screens. The UK is taking steps to regulate social media platforms like Meta, X, TikTok, and YouTube. Starting in 2025, these platforms will face potential fines from Ofcom if they don’t manage illegal content effectively. However, parents and educators believe many dangers still loom large in the online world.
A recent global study underscored this issue, showing escalating problematic internet use among kids across 44 countries. In the US, legal battles are underway against major social media companies for not doing enough to safeguard children, with 42 attorneys general suing Meta over its enticing features aimed at youths.
Clare Fernyhough from SFC emphasizes that while the Online Safety Act is a step in the right direction, it fails to tackle the core problem of tech’s addictive nature. Kids often find themselves spending up to nine hours a day on their devices, leading to significant opportunity costs.
In response to the smartphone dilemma, many schools are looking to go smartphone-free. For instance, in May 2024, 20 primary schools in St Albans announced they would ditch smartphones, and Ormiston academies followed suit in September with a decision affecting its 44 schools.
Damien McBeath, head teacher at John Wallis Academy, shares his frustrations. After years of ineffective smartphone policies, he noticed a decline in acceptable behavior among students, especially post-COVID. He references TikTok trends and incidents of online predators, leading to a chaotic school environment. Over his 25-year career, he has seen smartphones wreak havoc, referring to them as a “tidal wave” of issues.
Since implementing its smartphone-free policy, John Wallis Academy has reported drastic improvements—40% fewer detentions, an 80% drop in truancy, and a reduction in staff turnover from 30% to 17%. Other educators resonate with McBeath, seeking guidance from SFC amid similar challenges in their schools.
Will Orr-Ewing, part of the Smartphone Free Schools campaign, highlights the distraction smartphones cause, with kids receiving hundreds of notifications daily. He advocates for schools to find ways to keep phones away from students during school hours, whether through pouches, lockers, or by banning smartphones altogether.
The current state shows that only 11% of UK schools have adequate smartphone restrictions. In an open letter to the Department for Education, head teachers and local councils called for funding to support schools aiming for smartphone-free environments.
Beyond this, civil society groups voice their discontent with the Online Safety Act, arguing it falls short. The digital charity 5Rights criticizes Ofcom’s proposals as insufficient. Digital secretary Peter Kyle has committed to addressing the loopholes in the Act, stressing that tech companies release products without proving their safety first.
Public polls also reflect a desire for strengthened online safety measures. A survey from the Molly Rose Foundation found overwhelming support among parents and the general public for a new Online Safety Act. Labour MP Josh MacAlister has introduced a Private Members Bill to provide guidance on smartphone use in schools and raise the age for internet adulthood from 13 to 16, aiming to protect vulnerable children.
This discussion on online safety leads to a wider recognition from the UK and US governments on the necessity for risk-based, safety-focused approaches in tech design to ensure children’s safety online.