Smartphone-free schools campaign's council backing

Sheffield councillors have backed action following a call by parents and carers to consider reducing the use of smartphones in the city's schools.

At a meeting of the authority's education, children and families policy committee, councillors supported a proposal to set up a group to look at the issue and what action might be taken.

During the meeting, Ruth Fitzell, from campaign group Smartphone Free Childhood, Sheffield presented a petition to councillors expressing concerns over the prevalence of smartphone use among children and teenagers.

Fitzell told councillors: "Children need real-life learning and connections. Smartphones make that much harder."

Fitzell, who launched the petition, which has so far attracted about 800 signatures, said 90% of 11-year-olds and a third of six and seven-year-olds had smartphones which were never designed with children in mind.

She told the meeting that the petition was part of the Smartphone Free Childhood movement, which she described as "a grassroots, parent-led effort to shift the norm away from early smartphone ownership".

At the meeting, Fitzell said smartphones affected children's attention, learning and social development, adding that they also exposed young people to inappropriate online content, cyber-bullying and created smartphone addiction.

"There is a huge opportunity cost when children spend around 30% of their waking hours on their phones. What are they missing out on?" she asked.

Fitzell stressed the campaign was calling for social action, rather than blaming individuals.

She said she understood the council could not mandate people's choices or school policies, but it could help everyone to understand the issues.

"This is about safeguarding mental health and wellbeing," Fitzell said.

"It's not anti-tech, it's pro-child."

Fitzell urged more schools to adopt policies like that at Silverdale School which, since September, only allowed basic "brick"-style phones for Year Seven pupils.

That policy would be rolled out throughout the school over the next few years so that in four years' time, the whole school would be smartphone-free and would only allow basic phones, she explained.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, committee chair Dawn Dale responded that a group should be set up to examine the issue and decide a plan of action - involving schools, public health experts and researchers, as well as the council.

She said conversations had already taken place with schools about building a consistent approach to the issue.

She added that there was strong support among parents and carers for a delay to owning smartphones and using social media.

"I share many concerns you have raised around children's wellbeing, online safety and social development," Dale said.

Lib Dem councillor Ann Whitaker told the meeting that adults must set a "responsible example", not spending all their time on phones.

She added that the problem was an "enormous amount of peer pressure" at secondary school, with people feeling pressured to use smartphones "much earlier" than they would have liked.

Green Party councillor Toby Mallinson said he supported the proposal, but all issues should be explored in detail.

Speaking to the BBC, Courtney Coles, 23, from Sheffield, said she thought children should not have phones in classrooms.

"When it comes to learning in class, take the phones away", she said.

However, she added: "Kids should be allowed phones when they're outside class, at break times" because it was important for them to be able to contact their parents.

People who were used to having phones could also feel anxious without them, she added.

Meanwhile, Robert Brady, 31, said he thought removing smartphones from classrooms "would definitely help reduce distractions, especially for those of us that are challenged with learning at times".

"I understand obviously in emergencies students do need to be contacted," he said.

"Taking them out of the classroom and maybe setting an emergency contact up with the teachers themselves that maybe they've got a point in contact rather than the students directly, that would maybe help in those situations."

Clarification 4 February 2026: The position of Smartphone Free Childhood, Sheffield's on the use of mobile phones and Silverdale School's policy have been updated and clarified.

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