Phone-free schools debated by members

Debate

Baroness Kidron (Crossbench), chair and founder of 5Rights Foundation, a charity working on digital rights for children, put forward the debate.

This was a general debate. During debates, members put their experience to good use to discuss current issues and draw the government's attention to concerns.    

Members speaking

Contributing members included:

• Baroness Barran (Conservative), Shadow Education Minister
• Baroness Grender (Liberal Democrats), primary school governor
• Lord Knight of Weymouth (Labour), visiting professor at the Institute of Education, University of London.

Opening the debate, Baroness Kidron said:

'Optional guidance is not fair to children whose learning experiences are interrupted or to teachers trying to enforce voluntary policies with little support.

'We need clearer standards on how all tech in educational settings is designed and used. It is time for the Department for Education and DSIT to concede that the digital world is seamless and that children of all ages in all settings need equal consideration.'

Baroness Thornhill added:

'Clear restrictions on phones in schools would send a very clear message to parents that the excessive use of phones causes demonstrable harms — harms that in the real world they are seeking to protect their children from. Schools are best placed to take on that educative role for students and to empower parents to take back control in the home.'

Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Labour), Government Whip, responded on behalf of the government:

'The government’s priority is the effective implementation of the Online Safety Act, so that children can benefit from its wide-ranging protections as soon as possible and be able to safely benefit from technological advances for years to come.'

Catch up

Watch and read the debate   

• Watch on Parliament TV. 
• Read the Lords Hansard transcript. 

Explore background information   

• Find out more about the issues the debate covers in the House of Lords Library briefing.
• Learn more about how the House of Lords checks and challenges government. 

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