Chris Stokel-Walker (@stokel.bsky.social)

What is the evidence for school smartphone bans? Across the world, schools are banning smartphones. Chris Stokel-Walker investigates what evidence exists for and against such restrictions There are certain health maxims we know and trust, that have become entrenched over time and with the weight of overwhelming scientific evidence. Too much sugar and salt is bad for your health. Not getting enough exercise can harm you. Brush your teeth twice a day. But another maxim—that smartphones are dangerous and ought not to be given to children—is inching its way into popular discourse without much evidence. Certainly, school bans are popular. Manos Antoninis is director of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (Unesco) global education monitoring report.1 He says that 18 months after publication of the report, between July 2023 and December 2024, “the percentage of countries that have introduced a ban on phones in schools increased from 24% to 40%, which was quite spectacular.” Some media coverage2 suggested that Unesco had called for a ban on phones in schools, but the reality is more nuanced, Antoninis says. The UK government, for instance, doesn’t go as far as banning smartphones from schools, but encourages schools to restrict access in its official guidance.3 But whether those bans are effective is another question, says Antoninis. “It’s a difficult question to answer and to research,” he explains. “The ubiquity of use means that banning phones for a few hours in school doesn’t … https://www.bmj.com/content/390/bmj.r1729