A 17-year-old girl who says she was exposed to harrowing content including beheading videos, footage of a child shooting another, and pornography during school hours has joined a landmark legal action against the government.
Claimants Demand Statutory Smartphone Ban
Flossie McShea, from Devon, is now a claimant in a judicial review case initiated by two fathers, which seeks to force a complete ban on smartphones in schools. She alleges the Department for Education (DfE) has failed in its duty to protect pupils from the harms inflicted by phones during the school day.
The legal challenge, supported by mother-of-three Katie Moore, 43, argues that non-statutory guidance issued to schools is insufficient. The claimants' lawyers have formally warned Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson that she is "putting the nation’s children in harm’s way" by not implementing a mandatory ban.
Personal Stories of Harm and Exposure
Miss McShea described how her life was completely changed from Year 7 onwards by smartphone use. She recounted being shown extreme videos, including one where a young child accidentally shot another. "I had to go home," she said, explaining that such incidents were common among her peers.
She believes the school environment exacerbates the problem. "All of this really happens at school because you can see live reactions," she stated. "People feel it’s much more appealing to share this stuff online when you can get a reaction from 30 kids in the classroom."
Katie Moore joined the claim after her daughter revealed she had been shown sexually explicit images in school changing rooms and exposed to a video of men masturbating when another student accessed a video chatroom at school. Mrs Moore described the revelation as "devastating" and said parenting a teenager in a tech-driven world has been "exhausting."
The Legal Battle and Government Response
The judicial review is being pursued by Will Orr-Ewing and Pete Montgomery through their organisation, Generation Alpha CIC. Lawyers lodged papers at the High Court on Monday 10th November 2025.
The claimants argue that a statutory ban is the only effective solution, criticising "out of sight" policies as inadequate. Mr Montgomery called getting smartphones out of schools a "no-brainer," adding, "It should be the easiest decision in the world for the government to take. But they haven’t taken it, so we have no other option but to go to court."
This legal action challenges the government's current approach. A government spokesperson responded, stating: "Phones have no place in our schools, and leaders already have the power to ban phones. We support headteachers to take the necessary steps to prevent disruption, backed by clear guidance."
However, this stance is contested by data. A survey by the Children’s Commissioner found that while most schools have policies, only 3.5 per cent of secondary schools completely prohibit pupils from bringing phones onto school premises.
