Cross Party Support For Smartphone Free Schools In Brighton And Hove

Campaigners won cross-party support for their campaign for smartphone-free schools in Brighton and Hove at a council meeting on Thursday (19 December).

Gregor Ross and Natalie Dean asked councillors to support the Smartphone-Free Childhood (SFC) campaign as Brighton and Hove City Council held its final meeting of the year at Hove Town Hall.

Mr Ross, a father of two, from Westdene, told councillors that smartphones were designed for adults to access the “wonders and horrors” of the internet – not for children.

He said:

“Please will you consider publicly supporting and promoting the smartphone-free childhood campaign across the city?

“Please will you send SFC resources to all schools across the city, just like you do for other public health matters, encouraging them to implement no smartphone use in schools?”

Natalie Dean presented a petition signed by 2,531 people calling for Brighton and Hove schools to become smartphone-free zones.

She said that, in 2015, the council took a “bold step” by being the first in the country to tackle sugar addiction. She called for the same leadership on smartphones.

Ms Dean said:

“Today we face a new challenge, one just as pervasive, just as harmful and equally in need of leadership.

“Smartphones and their impact are the new sugar. They’re designed to hook children early and the consequences – depression, anxiety and exposure to harmful content – are already wreaking havoc on our kids.”

She cited the children’s commissioner’s concerns about children as young as eight stumbling across explicit content.

Labour councillor Emma Daniel, the council’s cabinet member for children, families and youth services, said that the campaign was “timely and inspiring”.

She said that technology companies should take responsibility for the tools that they offered.

Councillor Daniel said that she agreed with he government’s Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary, Peter Kyle.

Mr Kyle, the Labour MP for Hove and Portslade, has commissioned research into the effects of social media and smartphone use on children.

Councillor Daniel said:

“I will organise a round-table with school leaders and SENCOs (special educational needs co-ordinators), parents and young people in 2025. I understand Peter Kyle will attend if we can land on a date when he is available.

“I am conscious that whatever position we land on, we have to bear in mind more disadvantaged families and the fact that too many pupils only have access to their homework and internet via their phones as their household doesn’t have laptops.

“We can’t move forward in a way that compounds that disadvantage.

“Additionally, while most schools as far I know have a ban on any phone during the day, I know they have exceptions for young carers and disabled children – and I would want to support school leaders in that.”

Councillor Daniel said that she would attend the Smartphone-Free Childhood event planned for Thursday 23 January at Cottesmore St Mary Catholic Primary School.

Green councillor Kerry Pickett said that the implications of smartphone technology were only just starting to be understood.

Councillor Pickett said:

“We need decisive action to make smartphone use a safer, more secure place for children.

“But to put that responsibility on local councils takes away from those who should bear the real responsibility – the tech companies.

“Currently, it is a UK government recommendation that smartphones are banned in schools. A number of schools in the city are conforming to this recommendation but, without resources, some feel unable to do so.”

She welcomed the study commissioned by Mr Kyle and said that the issues required government intervention to enforce action by technology companies because the council alone could not provide the necessary security.

Brighton and Hove Independent councillor Mark Earthey thanked the campaigners for bringing their case to the council and offered them his group’s support.

He said:

“We fully support these proposals to do anything to hold the tech companies to account. There needs to be much more local and government intervention.”

Conservative councillor Emma Hogan said that, as a psychiatrist and parent, she was fully aware of the impact of excessive screentime.

She was concerned that early smartphone use had a negative impact on children’s mental health, academic performance and social interactions.

Councillor Hogan said:

“We are aware that staff at Varndean and Cardinal Newman have successfully put in place strict policies that effectively stop children using their smartphones while at school so they can focus on learning and developing social skills.