SMARTPHONE FREE KELLANDS

At Kellands school we are committed to our children's health and wellbeing with a strong focus on mental, emotional and social wellbeing. We believe that by joining together as a community, parents and school united, we can reduce the social pressure for our children to be online and start important conversations about how to create a healthy relationship with these powerful and addictive technologies.  

We are conscious that this can be a controversial subject and that everyone wants to do what’s best for their children. You may already know your stance and we’re certainly not trying to overrule personal decisions.  However, unequivocal research is finding that despite all the benefits of keeping in touch, young people’s mental health and wellbeing is increasingly being damaged by smartphone usage. 

With this in mind, we aim to be proactive as a school and wider community and take steps to help 'protect and teach' our Kellands kiddies. We are mindful that this technology is here to stay, and it does present many benefits and opportunities, so we are keen to ensure our children navigate and engage with it in a positive way.


When we all started using smartphones, we had little understanding of the impact they have on children and teenagers. Now we do. The evidence is overwhelming...



A catalyst to informing our stance on this subject as a school is the work of mental health researchers Jonathan Haidt and Jean Twenge. They observed that symptoms of depression and suicide rates among teens increased sharply in 2012, coinciding with the acceleration of smartphone ownership particularly among those younger generations. 


For a digestible run down of Haidt’s data and evidence on the mental health crisis in adolescents, we would urge you to watch this video... 


*please be advised that this video could be triggering for some*


The full webinar is also available to watch via Smartphone Free Childhood. 

As a school, we have our own anecdotal evidence regarding the negative impact of smartphones on children today. Children are bringing their phone-based behaviour patterns into schools, which is causing classroom conflict, cyberbullying and distraction. We know, because we deal with it everyday and sadly, it appears to be happening at a younger and younger age. There is high quality evidence for a range of harms attributed to smartphone usage (Obesity; Body Image; Eye Damage; Tics / Tourettes; Sleep; Friendship; Addiction) but the following three harms are most pertinent to our job of running Kellands school.

SMARTPHONES ARE LINKED TO ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION

There has been an explosion of mental illness in Gen Z, the generation that grew up with smartphones. Multiple studies from across the world have found a correlation between teen depression, anxiety and suicide, and excessive smartphone use.


Key evidence: 


— (US) The younger someone gets a mobile phone, the worse their mental health in later life (Sapien Labs). 


— (UK) The Millennium Cohort Study states that ‘greater social media use relates to poor sleep, low self-esteem and poor body image’ 


— (Intl) The world-renowned PISA study has documented the rise of loneliness amongst school children which doubled between 2012-2018. Analysis of the data demonstrates that school loneliness was high when smartphone access and internet use were high. 


— (Switzerland) Excessive smartphone use is associated with psychiatric, cognitive, emotional, medical and brain changes in adolescents that should be considered by health and education professionals. 


— (Norway) After smartphone bans in 400+ middle schools, girls had fewer mental health issues, better grades, and both girls and boys were less likely to be bullied. 


— (UK) In the last three years, the likelihood of a young person having a mental health issue has increased by 50% and emergency referrals to youth mental healthcare services have risen by 53%. This has been strongly correlated with smartphone use. 

SMARTPHONES EXPOSE CHILDREN TO EXTREME SAFEGUARDING RISKS

Through their smartphones, UK children are exposed to: violent and sexual imagery; grooming via sexual predators; cyberbullying and sexting. 


Key evidence: 


— (UK) In recent studies, 55% of UK teens reported seeing real life acts of violence on social media in the last 12 months. 24% had seen children carrying, promoting, or using weapons. 


— (UK) Children’s Commissioner report, Rachel De Souza: “In a room of 15 and 16-year-olds, three quarters had been sent a video of a beheading. I conducted a nationally representative survey of 2,005 children and their parents to understand families’ perspectives on online safety. My survey found that children are frequently exposed to a wide range of inappropriate and harmful content online, included sexualised and violent imagery, anonymous trolling, and material promoting suicide, self-harm and eating disorders.” 


— (UK) Social media algorithms amplify misogynistic content. 


— (UK) Social media has been proven to increase self-harm and suicidal tendencies amongst adolescents. ONS report: 1 in 5 children between the ages of 10 and 15 had experienced some form of cyberbullying within the last year. 

SMARTPHONES IMPAIR ATTAINMENT

Smartphones have a negative impact on learning, academic achievement and the kind of cognitive functioning needed for success at school. They are designed to distract children’s attention and increase dependency on them. Schools which ban mobile phones have higher exam results. 


Key evidence: 


— (UK) Children from schools that have an outright ban on smartphones achieve GCSE results one to two grades higher compared with those at schools with laxer policies. Those schools are also twice as likely to be rated Outstanding by Ofsted. 


— (UK) BMJ / University of Birmingham evidence paper on the impact of school policies restricting daytime smartphone use. Evidence suggests that whole school policies related to health and well-being can: (1) reduce overall screen time; (2) positively influence mental well-being; and (3) improve physical activity, sleep, educational attainment and reduce disruptive classroom behaviour. 


— (US) Research paper - smartphone addiction has negative impacts on student learning and overall academic performance. — (Intl) Multiple studies have identified evidence of comorbidities between excessive smartphone use and psychiatric diagnoses including ADHD and OCD. 


— (Intl) ‘Put learners first’: Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools 


— (US) Smartphones are leading to decline in test scores. It Sure Looks Like Phones Are Making Students Dumber 

KELLANDS SCHOOL MOBILE DEVICE POLICY

In Britain today, 24% of 5-7 year olds now own a smartphone, by 12, 97% do. When parents first started giving smartphones to their children, we didn’t know the impact they would have. Research has shown that the younger a child gets a smartphone, the worse their mental health will be. 


Our Parent Survey in April 2024 showed that the primary usage of smartphones was for communication with home, to make calls or to send text messages. All things a simple ‘brick phone’ could do. In line with this, as a school, we believe smartphones with unrestricted internet access and social media are not suitable for children under 16. 


As most children spend more time in school than any other place outside their home, our Smartphone Free Kellands School Policy reflects the evidence that has been provided on this page and has been designed to minimise the impact of smartphones in your children’s lives. Please take the time to familiarise yourself with the policy as from August 2024 Kellands school will be entirely smartphone free, except in special circumstances and with special permission from the Headteacher.

Kellands School - Mobile Device Policy 2024.pdf

THE BIGGER PICTURE


History proves that just because something's normal, it doesn't mean it's right.


There are a lot of organisations and charities building momentum and making waves about this very subject. Too much is at stake to just accept this as 'the way it is'.  Properly protecting childhood from smartphones and social media requires radical action from governments too.  The only way that’ll happen is if they know how much this matters to parents everywhere.  


Below we have linked to some organisations that are doing incredible things and that you may wish to support.

ALTERNATIVES TO SMARTPHONES

Kids are growing up in a digital world and technology offers many positive things to them. However adult smartphones are typically given in the first instance rather than the last. It often feels like this is an either/or situation. You get your kid a smartphone or nothing. In reality, a good option is to take a step by step approach. Rather than leaping straight in at the deep end with an all the bells and whistles iPhone. We believe a staggered approach is more appropriate and have suggested some possible alternative products below (none of these are affiliate links, we do not get paid for recommending these products!).




Many parents want to be able to track them for safety and peace of mind. If you are getting them a phone from the list above, these will not come with tracking devices so if this is something you want you can get a tracking sticker to attach directly onto the phone.

Trackers that can be stuck directly onto your child’s phone or attached to jackets, backpacks, etc. 

Many parents want to be able to track them for safety and peace of mind. If you are getting them a phone from the list above, these will not come with tracking devices so if this is something you want you can get a tracking sticker to attach directly onto the phone. 

These can be worn in an affordable watch strap or attached to a backpack or jacket.

Sim Cards


IMPORTANT – When you get a SIM card for your child’s phone, make sure that it has NO DATA roaming, only calls and texts so that there is no chance that they can access the internet. Currently Asda are the only company that are offering this.


Asda Unlimited calls and Texts £4 per month