Legally banning smartphones in schools would not “get to the root cause” of potential harm posed to children, Wes Streeting has said – despite new polling showing strong public support for a total ban.
Speaking exclusively to The i Paper, the Health Secretary said he was worried about what boys were accessing online amid increasing fears of male teens, in particular, being targeted with extreme views.
But he said he did not believe legislating to ban kids from having phones in the classroom would be the silver bullet to counter the dangers posed by unlimited access to the online world.
It comes as new polling, carried out on behalf of The i Paper, indicates strong support across the public for a ban on phone use in schools.
Non-statutory guidance, introduced in 2024, gives headteachers licence to ban mobile use in school, but it is not legally binding.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told MPs last week that a full ban on phones in schools was “unnecessary” because most schools “do it already”.
Streeting said there are other measures that could be implemented to protect youths online and said he was “equally” concerned about phone and internet usage outside of school.
“I think the point Keir made the other day is that most schools are already doing this. I think that, in some ways, the focus on changing the law to enforce something that’s already happening in most schools doesn’t quite get to the root cause of all of the challenges that we’re facing,” Streeting said.
“I mean, I’m equally worried about what is going on outside schools.
“I’m worried about what’s going on in people’s homes, but I’m particularly worried about what’s going on in boys’ hands, and on their mobile phones and the way in which a lot of boys are socialising online when they’re playing games on things like their Xbox.”
Four in ten adults (42 per cent) said they strongly support the policy and a further 29 per cent somewhat support it, totalling 71 per cent in favour of a ban compared with just 13 per cent who said they would oppose it.
Despite this, parents are significantly less likely to be in favour of an outright ban. Just over a third (34 per cent) said they strongly support a ban. In total, 63 per cent support a ban in general.
The issue has gained fresh prominence following the success of Netflix drama Adolescence, which explored the impact of online misogyny and violence on teenage boys.
The polling, carried out by BMG Research for The i Paper, suggests support for a total ban has grown slightly following the show’s release, with a similar survey last October showing 31 per cent of adults strongly agreed with the proposal.
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Streeting said there was a “real challenge with online harms”.
“That is something that I’m taking seriously from a health and wellbeing perspective, as well as [Science and Technology Secretary] Peter Kyle from a technology perspective and [Education Secretary] Bridget Phillipson in terms of the role of the education system and support for children and young people.
“So, we’re working together to look at how we can really get to the root causes of some of these issues and challenges.”
Starmer was urged on Wednesday during Prime Minister’s Questions, to ensure all schools in England enforce a mobile phone ban.
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch asked the Prime Minister why his Government opposed a Tory amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to require schools to ban the use of mobile phones during the school day.
Starmer said the proposal was “completely unnecessary” as he claimed “almost every school” already bans phones and said the “emerging battle” was about the content children can access.
“We need to concentrate on what’s really important here, which is getting to the content that children shouldn’t be accessing. That’s where I would genuinely like to work across the House because I think there’s a huge amount of work to do.
“But the battle is not with schools that are already banning phones in school. The battle, and this is an important emerging battle, is to work together to ensure that we can ensure that the content that children are accessing wherever they are is suitable for their age.”
BMG Research interviewed a representative sample of 1,544 GB adults online between 26-27 March 2025.
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