Legal challenge prompts push for mandatory smartphone ban in UK schools

A growing movement of parents, pupils, and campaigners in the UK is seeking a judicial review to enforce a statutory ban on smartphones in schools, citing concerns over harmful content and distraction amid rising safeguarding incidents.

A growing campaign is underway calling for a complete statutory ban on smartphones in schools across the UK, as mounting concerns about the harms caused by phone use during school hours come to a head. Recently, a teenager and a mother-of-three have joined two fathers in seeking a judicial review to challenge current government guidance that stops short of enforcing an outright ban. The claimants argue that the Department for Education (DfE) has failed to adequately protect pupils from exposure to harmful content on phones within school settings.

Seventeen-year-old Flossie McShea from Devon is among the claimants. She described the profound impact smartphones have had on her life since starting secondary school, recounting exposure to deeply disturbing content including pornography, violent videos, and even a video involving children accidentally shooting one another. Miss McShea explained to the PA news agency that this harmful content proliferates at school because pupils can witness live reactions from their peers, which encourages further sharing. She believes that if phones were banned entirely in schools, these negative experiences could have been avoided. Her own school has since implemented a complete ban on smartphones on its premises, a move she views positively, noting that younger pupils without phones during the school day engage more naturally with each other.

Supporting this view is Northampton mother Katie Moore, whose daughter was exposed to sexually explicit images and inappropriate videos on phones while at school. Moore described the experience as devastating and expressed frustration over the societal pressures that compelled her to give her daughter a smartphone despite her reservations. She strongly advocates for a full statutory ban on phones at school, arguing that policies allowing phones to be “out of sight” are insufficient to prevent harm.

The legal challenge, initiated by parents Will Orr-Ewing and Pete Montgomery under their organisation Generation Alpha CIC, seeks to compel the government to mandate a phone ban as part of safeguarding measures. The pair wrote to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson in July, expressing their intent to launch legal action due to the absence of a mandatory phone ban in current safeguarding guidance. Their freedom of information requests revealed some schools reported numerous safeguarding incidents related to phone and social media use, one school referred 55 incidents to social services, with 17 escalated to the police. Montgomery called removing smartphones from schools “a no-brainer,” criticizing the government’s reluctance to act and stating that legal action was their only recourse. Papers for judicial review are due to be lodged in the High Court imminently.

Currently, government guidance issued under the former Conservative administration is non-statutory and encourages schools to restrict phone use during the school day. A survey by the Children’s Commissioner earlier this year found that 90% of secondary schools have policies to limit phone use during school hours, with most secondary schools (79%) allowing pupils to bring phones but requiring them to be kept out of sight and unused. Only a small minority, 3.5%, prohibit phones entirely. A government spokesperson reiterated that headteachers already have the power to ban phones and that clear guidance supports such measures alongside new protections from harmful online content introduced through the Online Safety Act.

This campaign aligns with broader moves across the UK to tackle smartphone-related harms in schools. In Northern Ireland, an innovative pilot scheme has been launched in nine schools involving over 8,000 students, where pupils place phones in magnetic pouches during the school day to restrict use. Education Minister Paul Givan expressed support for the trial, emphasising the importance of listening to parents, teachers, and school leaders’ concerns about phone use. Similarly, Esther Ghey, whose daughter Brianna Ghey was tragically murdered, has campaigned for funding to enable schools to implement phone-locking pouches, believing such measures helped her daughter focus and avoid distractions.

Experts and campaigners also advise caution around introducing smartphones to children at young ages. Mobile network EE has recommended against giving smartphones to children under 11, suggesting devices with limited features and parental controls to mitigate risks. The National Education Union, the UK’s largest education union, has also called on Westminster to consider a statutory smartphone ban in schools to safeguard pupils from easy access to harmful content.

This groundswell of concern reflects a growing recognition that the presence of smartphones in schools can facilitate exposure to damaging material and disrupt education and social interaction. As the judicial review challenge proceeds, the debate continues over how best to balance technological integration with students’ safety and well-being.

📌 Reference Map:

• ^[1], ^[2], ^[7] (The Irish News) – Paragraphs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
• ^[3] (The Irish News) – Paragraph 7
• ^[4] (The Irish News) – Paragraph 8
• ^[5] (The Irish News) – Paragraph 9
• ^[6] (The Irish News) – Paragraph 10

Source: Noah Wire Services

Noah Fact Check Pro

The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.

Freshness check

Score:
10

Notes:
The narrative is recent, published on November 10, 2025, with no evidence of prior publication or recycled content. The inclusion of updated data and recent events, such as the involvement of Flossie McShea and Katie Moore, supports a high freshness score.

Quotes check

Score:
10

Notes:
The direct quotes from Flossie McShea and Katie Moore appear to be original, with no identical matches found in earlier material. This suggests the content is potentially original or exclusive.

Source reliability

Score:
9

Notes:
The narrative originates from The Irish News, a reputable UK news outlet. However, the absence of a direct link to the article raises minor concerns about verification.

Plausability check

Score:
9

Notes:
The claims about the legal challenge for a school phone ban align with ongoing discussions and actions in the UK regarding smartphone use in schools. The involvement of real individuals and the mention of specific incidents lend credibility to the narrative. However, the lack of coverage from other reputable outlets on this specific legal action suggests a need for further verification.

Overall assessment

Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): OPEN

Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): MEDIUM

Summary:
While the narrative presents recent and original content from a reputable source, the absence of corroboration from other reputable outlets and the lack of a direct link to the article warrant further verification. The involvement of real individuals and the alignment with ongoing discussions about smartphone use in schools support the plausibility of the claims. However, the need for additional confirmation from other reputable sources means the overall assessment is ‘OPEN’ with medium confidence.