A major US study has found that strict bans on mobile phones in schools have 'close to zero' impact on student learning, with no evidence of improvements in attendance or reductions in online bullying. Researchers from Stanford and Duke universities examined nearly 1,800 US schools where phones were kept in locked pouches and found little difference in outcomes compared to schools without such bans.
The study, published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, concluded that average effects on test scores were 'consistently close to zero.' However, lead author Professor Thomas Dee of Stanford cautioned against using the findings to abandon phone restrictions, calling that 'a major mistake.' He noted that bans reduced phone usage over time and that longer-term outcomes appeared more positive.
In England, the government plans to legislate next year to make phone restrictions a statutory requirement in state schools, a move backed by teaching unions and campaigners. The Girls' Day School Trust, which runs 25 schools, has announced a ban for pupils up to year 11 from September, citing research on the harms to teenage girls.
The study also found a rise in suspensions and a dip in student wellbeing in the first year of a ban, but these effects faded over time. Meanwhile, England's exam regulator Ofqual has warned students not to take phones or smart watches into exam halls after over 500 candidates were disqualified last year.
