Esther Ghey, mother of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey, and Oscar-winning actor Kate Winslet are calling on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to introduce a legal ban on smartphones in schools. They warn that current guidance has created a 'postcode lottery', with only 11% of secondary schools in England and Wales fully banning phones or requiring them to be locked away all day.
Ghey said a ban would have 'solved so many issues' for her daughter, who was 'sucked away from society and into the online world where she was at risk of so many harms'. Brianna, 16, a transgender girl from Warrington, was described as addicted to her phone before being killed by two teenagers in February 2023.
The government has resisted a legal ban, insisting headteachers can take their own action. In 2024, it issued guidance that schools should prohibit phone use throughout the school day. However, research by the children's commissioner found only 3.5% of schools banned phones from grounds and 7.9% required pupils to hand them in all day.
The new Phone Free Education campaign, backed by actor Stephen Graham, boxer Frank Bruno, singer Will Young, Mumsnet and author Jonathan Haidt, calls for a statutory ban with funding for lockable pouches. In an open letter, they said: 'Most schools are relying on children to resist a temptation even adults struggle with. It’s not fair, and it’s not working.'
Winslet said: 'Every child deserves to be in classrooms that are free from the distraction and highly addictive nature of smartphones. A statutory ban would be a vital step towards protecting the mental health of young people.' Ghey added that Brianna's school introduced a pouch system after her death, noting the dinner hall became noisy as children socialised face-to-face.
