The reason why the issue has taken so long to resolve, and still hasn’t been, is ultimately pretty simple - it’s incredibly divisive. There’s benefits to a child not having their phone on them during school time, and there’s also limitations. The distraction of a phone and what they can access through it can lead to worsening mental health and decreased motivation, but some studies have shown that the impact is nowhere near as major as the party is making it out to be.
To be honest, I find the entire situation to be a bit of a mess and a little bit pointless. The Conservatives issued new guidance on phones in schools back when they were in government, but did little to nothing to see whether standards were being maintained. Also, several schools have been taking matters into their own hands over the years, introducing their own rules to deal with potential issues that arise from phone usage. Some schools have introduced lockable pouches that students put their phones into at the start of the day, others allow the use of phones during breaks and lunches, but many schools have said they are achieving great results with their own phone rules, so quite why we’re still having a huge political palava over them I don’t know.
Several schools have been taking matters into their own hands over the years, introducing their own rules to deal with potential issues that arise from phone usage.
Even several government officials have echoed this sentiment as well. In an interview with the BBC, technology secretary Peter Kyle said he wasn’t aware of a single school in his constituency that hadn’t successfully restricted phone usage, while headteachers around the country have the power to completely ban phones if they so desire.
Also, in my personal experience students are also smart enough to know when and when not to use their phones in school. We were sometimes allowed to bring them out in classes if we needed a calculator, and we used them for that and only that. If we needed to contact a parent about something urgent, we could receive permission first. Even the kids who hate school and are liable to act up are not stupid enough to openly use their phones in the middle of lesson, so I think this is only a situation that greatly underestimates students.
So yeah, I really don’t see what the huge fuss is about. As far as I can see, there are already measures in place, phones are never a distraction in school life and this is yet another example of the Conservative opposition being out-of-touch with the public and needlessly backward in their arms. No change there then.