West Sussex Backs Push For Smartphone-Free Primary Schools

West Sussex County Council is urging stronger action to keep smartphones out of primary schools, as new Government guidance aims to limit their use during the school day.

The call comes after councillors wrote to the Education Secretary highlighting concerns from teachers, school staff and health professionals about the impact of mobile phones on children’s learning and wellbeing.

Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Learning, Jacquie Russell, alongside Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, Bob Lanzer, have been pushing for national legislation to make all primary schools smartphone-free.

While the new guidance from the Department for Education stops short of being law, councillors say it is a step in the right direction.

Cllr Russell said smartphones can be a major distraction in classrooms and may expose younger children to content they are not emotionally ready to handle, adding that clearer, consistent rules would better support teachers and pupils alike.

The Government has also launched a wider consultation, led by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, looking at children’s online safety and digital use — including whether school phone rules should become legally binding.

Cllr Lanzer said the consultation gives families, teachers and young people across West Sussex a chance to shape future policy, stressing that children’s emotional health and wellbeing must come first.

Residents can take part in the “Growing up in the online world” consultation, which runs until May 26.