by Bill Heaney
She told MSPs: “There is no doubt that new and evolving technologies can provide opportunities for learning and communication. However, they also bring the risk of a spectrum of harm. We need to recognise the negative impact of mobile phones and screen time and, frankly, to protect our children and young people from that.“That is why now is the time for phone-free learning environments. I am pleased that there is cross-party consensus on the issue and that we can work together on it. We owe it to our pupils and teachers to do so, and to create an environment that is conducive to learning and teaching.
“This Government has already been clear that any school or education authority that wishes to introduce restrictions on mobile phones in its classrooms or across the school estate will have ministers’ full support.
“That is the position set out in our national guidance, which we introduced in 2024 in response to the 2023 report on behaviour in Scottish schools that highlighted the disruption caused by mobile phones in our classrooms.
“Since we introduced that guidance, many schools and education authorities have acted to restrict the use of mobile phones, and I welcome that. However, there is too much variability. We have listened carefully to calls from parents, carers and teachers to ensure greater consistency across the country to support children’s learning and development.
“We continue to hear concerns about classroom disruption where restrictions are absent and about the wider impacts on pupils’ well-being of excessive screen time, exposure to harmful online content and the effects of online bullying.”
The Minister added: “That is why we will shortly publish a consultation on legislation to make our learning environments phone-free, thereby meeting our commitment to do so within the first 100 days of this Government’s being in office.”
She has already met school staff and young people to discuss the school’s mobile phone policy.
She added: “No phones are allowed during school hours on school grounds, which include the campus, the classrooms, the corridors and the cafeteria. The rules for the school’s young people are clear: see it, hear it, lose it.
“When I spoke to the staff and the young people, which I did separately, they highlighted the benefits of that policy, including fewer distractions during class, reduced conflict among pupils and between staff and pupils, and more interaction among peers. The young people reflected on how much they welcomed the break from otherwise addictive apps and content.
“I want to hear from more pupils through our consultation. Scotland has been a pioneer in the advancement of rights for children and young people, and their views must be front and centre in the decisions that we take.
“We also want to understand the range of views from parents and carers, school staff, education authorities and interested organisations, which will help to shape our legislation and allow us to deal with multiple complex issues.
“For example, as our current guidance makes clear, there will be occasions when exemptions are required, such as where young people use their phones to monitor medical conditions or where young carers need to maintain contact with home.
“Schools that have already implemented phone-free policies per our guidance are managing exemptions well. We will fully explore and understand all those issues to inform sensible legislation.
“Legislation is the only way in which we can mandate learning environments to be phone-free. Until then, existing guidance allows all schools to introduce such a policy now. Therefore, to signal our intent that schools should move to introduce restrictions while we prepare legislation, we are working with education authorities to refresh our current guidance to support and encourage more schools to introduce restrictions ahead of a change in the law.
“We are working with the Scottish advisory group on relationships and behaviour in schools so that the updated guidance will be informed by the views of organisations including the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland, the main teaching unions and representatives of parents and carers.
“As will be crucial, it will also be informed by the views of young people.”
Ms McAllan said the guidance will set out expectations for key areas, including the engagement with the whole school community—pupils, staff and families—that will be required if we are to build support for such policies.
She revealed that the updated guidance will be published by the end of this month to support schools in considering their approach from the beginning of the next term.
The Minister added: “This issue rests within the wider public health approach to online harm that the Government is committed to taking. We recognise the spectrum of harm that is associated with the significant intensification that we have seen in children’s and young people’s use of online platforms and smartphones.
“That spectrum includes—but is not limited to—loss of concentration and the waste of precious childhood years, at one end, and it goes right through to the absorption of harmful and often violent, misogynistic or radicalising content, incitement to self-harm, extreme bullying and, in some cases, grooming.
“Taking a public health approach means being clear about such harms and taking a holistic approach to addressing them. Therefore, when considering the impact of mobile phones in schools, we must think not only about distraction in the classroom or bullying during the school day but about the higher risk of depression, anxiety, poor sleep and poor health in adolescence that can arise from smartphone use in general.
“Taking such an approach means engaging the whole school community so that schools can create the conditions to get things right for school well-being, learning outcomes and long-term health.
“Schools are only one part of the solution, and I will highlight actions that we are taking to support parents and young people to ensure that social media companies are held to account.
Although the main policy and legislative levers, such as measures that can be taken under the Online Safety Act 2023, are held by the United Kingdom Government, in Scotland, we are taking all available steps to act here and now while we wait for the UK Government to step up.
“Let me be clear: we support the UK Government’s consultation on the banning of social media for under-16s. However, we do not think that will solve the problem of online harms. We need more concerted action to force social media and tech giants to do more to protect our children. That is a fight that I will not shy away from.”
