Distraction and cyberbullying are key concerns over phones in UK schools

Mobile phones are so pervasive that many children have their own device before they reach secondary school. Between the ages of five and seven, about one in five children in the UK own a phone, and the figure soars to more than 50% in children aged eight to 11, according to the media regulator Ofcom.

The rise in ownership among school pupils has sparked a wave of research into the pros and cons of mobile phones in education. The findings, and direct experience of the effect on students, have prompted some countries such as France and the Netherlands to ban mobiles in schools. Others, such as the UK, let schools decide what restrictions to make.

One big concern is that having mobiles in class is an immense distraction for some pupils. Research from the London School of Economics found test scores for schoolchildren in Birmingham, London, Leicester and Manchester rose when their schools introduced mobile phone bans. The benefits were not spread evenly. The greatest improvement was seen in low-achieving students, with the ban having almost no impact on the most capable pupils. Lower achievers may be more prone to distraction, the researchers think, with high achievers retaining their focus despite having a phone to hand.

What schoolchildren find distracting on phones differs across students. Canadian researchers looked at what secondary school pupils got up to during “bring your own device” lessons. Beyond doing their work, students were often using social media, instant messaging or playing games.

Social media, which are driving a wave of mental distress, absorbed more of the girls’ time, while boys became engrossed in games. Distraction levels peaked when pupils were working on their own or in small groups rather than listening to their teachers.

Much of the research around mobile phone distractions is in undergraduates, a plentiful resource for academic psychologists, and the results are a mixed bag. Research at the University of Chicago concluded that the mere presence of a mobile phone, and avoiding the temptation to check it all the time, was enough to reduce people’s cognitive capacity. Meanwhile, psychologists at Rutgers University in New Jersey found mobile devices divided students’ attention and reduced their ability to retain information, which subsequently hit their exam performance.

On a more positive note, Danish scientists said the harm done to student learning was easily overblown. Mobile phones might well be distracting, but students have always been distracted, they argue, gazing out the window, staring at the ceiling or passing notes while the teacher is deriving pi from first principles.

Distraction is not the only problem. Many countries that have banned mobiles in schools are worried about student wellbeing and cyberbullying. Research on more than 4,000 eight- to 11-year-olds in the US found half owned phones and nearly 10% were victims of cyberbullying. Unsurprisingly, it was the children with phones who experienced the most abuse.

The effect bans can have on cyberbullying was clear in work carried out in Spain last year. Scientists looked at rates of cyberbullying in two regions of the country that introduced phone bans in schools. After the bans were brought in, rates of cyberbullying fell while maths and science learning improved.

The debate around mobile phones in schools comes on top of the broader concerns around children and screen time. Research on eight- to 11-year-olds has shown that children are at their cognitive best when they are on screens for less than two hours a day, sleep for nine to 11 hours and do at least one hour of physical activity a day.

But not all screen time is the same: educational apps may bring more benefits than watching mindless videos, for example. Overall, the work supports the case that children need exercise, play, communication, social interaction and sleep for healthy development.