THERE is a growing bid to get smartphones banned from all schools in Cornwall due to the damaging effects on pupils, from a lack of concentration to depression and cyber-bullying. All schools in Newquay are on the cusp of agreeing to be smartphone-free, while councils in Truro and Penzance are also urging head teachers to follow their lead.

A pressure group called Smartphone Free Childhood – whose members include teachers – has approached councils in Cornwall asking them to press schools in their areas to stop the use of smartphones and other smart devices during school hours. Newquay Town Council has already got the ball rolling.

The council arranged a meeting with schools in the town, including all of the trusts which run Newquay schools, and as a result an agreement is due to be published next week. Mayor of Newquay Cllr Drew Creek, who also represents the Green Party on Cornwall Council, said: “Essentially what we’ve come up with is a smartphone-free Newquay covenant which all of the schools and trusts are happy to sign up to, which basically says no smart devices in school.

“If you need a phone, it needs to be a basic ‘brick’ phone, except for anyone who has any medical requirements such as diabetes. We’re in the final stages this week of finalising the wording of that covenant before it’s released into the public domain, likely next week.”

Cllr Creek says his ambition is to get Cornwall Council to adopt a similar covenant across the whole of the Duchy. Penzance Town Council is also seeking an agreement with the schools in its area.

The stark evidence of phone use among schoolchildren was presented to a meeting of Truro City Council last night (Monday, September 29) by Jo Dowell, an art and design teacher at Truro College who is a member of the Smartphone Free Childhood campaign. She told councillors: “The problem is simple: smartphones are everywhere in young people’s lives and when they enter schools, they bring harm.”

She said there is now an overwhelming body of evidence showing that smartphone use can have serious implications on the mental health, academic performance and social development of children and adolescents. According to a 2023 study by the UK-based charity Parent Zone, over 80 per cent of secondary school students report feeling anxious or left out due to social media pressures, with one in three saying they’ve experienced cyberbullying.

The Children’s Commissioner for England has also highlighted how excessive screen time is linked to poor sleep, reduced physical activity and lower self-esteem in school-aged children. For neurodiverse pupils studies show phone use worsens concentration and widens the gap in educational attainment.

Mrs Dowell added: “Smartphones bring cyberbullying, sexting, harmful content and privacy risks into classrooms and corridors – 84 per cent of bullying now happens online and it follows children home, into their bedrooms, in their pockets. Children are so afraid of losing their phones that they often hide abuse rather than seek help. Teachers meanwhile are spending precious time policing devices instead of teaching.

“Playtimes once filled with games, jokes and friendships are now dominated by silent scrolling instead of climbing trees or kicking footballs. The simple joys that build resilience and happiness are being stolen away.”

She told the meeting that the mental health impact is “staggering”

Ninety per cent of girls, and half of boys, have been sent explicit content they never wanted to see. Over half of 11 to 13-year-olds have viewed hardcore pornography

In one survey, three-quarters of 15-year-olds had been sent a beheading video.

“Your average 12-year-old now spends 35 hours a week on their smartphone,” said Mrs Dowell. “That’s 35 hours not spent playing, not learning, not just being a child. This scale of harm is simply too great.

“This is not about rejecting technology. It’s about boundaries. It’s about protecting learning, safeguarding and the essence of childhood itself. I teach the next generation of pupils at Truro College. During tutor sessions we have discussed the impact of smartphones and it is staggering how many of them resent the fact they are so addicted, and they recognise the negative impact it has had on their lives.”

Truro councillors thanked Mrs Dowell for her presentation and agreed to start the process of convening a meeting with head teachers in Truro with the hope of coming up with a covenant similar to that in Newquay. They also voted in favour of writing to Cornwall Council urging a countywide ban.