Schools are grappling with the impact of smartphones, social media and increased screen use on children’s behaviour, attention and mental health.
Teachers and leaders describe similar patterns. Attention feels harder to hold, anxiety shows up faster, conflict escalates more quickly. Phones, whether they’re in pockets, bags or sealed into pouches, act as a constant pull on attention during the school day.
This isn’t about rejecting technology. Digital tools bring real benefits. They support connection, creativity and learning. But beneath the focus on phones and policies, something more fundamental is shifting. The way children learn to regulate emotions, relate to others and make sense of the world is being shaped differently.
Understanding classroom behaviour linked to screen use and phones
What the evidence increasingly suggests is that this isn’t simply about how much time children spend on screens. Instead, it is the design of digital experiences, predictability, feedback loops, social comparison and constant prompts for attention, that appear to have the greatest impact on regulation and wellbeing. This matters as children increasingly interact not just with mobile phones, but with AI driven tools that respond and adapt in real time.
Across primary and secondary settings, staff describe children who find it harder to tolerate boredom, manage frustration or stay emotionally regulated through the school day. This isn’t about technology itself. It’s about what constant connectivity is doing to development, and how that loss of space shows up in classrooms and corridors.
What screens may be displacing
The most important question, then, is not how long children are on screens, but what those screens are replacing.
When time for play, daydreaming, unstructured interaction and real world problem solving reduces, children have fewer chances to practise emotional regulation and resilience. In school, that loss often appears as anxiety, impulsivity or disengagement, not because children are choosing badly, but because development has less room to unfold.
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Active and passive digital experiences
Not all screen use is equal. Active, relational digital experiences, such as collaborative gaming, esports or creative platforms, can support teamwork, communication and emotional regulation. In contrast, passive consumption, endless scrolling or high stimulation short form content, is far more likely to displace play and real world connection. This distinction helps schools move beyond blanket rules and towards more intentional boundaries that protect development.
Why play and real world connection still matter
Play and real world interaction remain central to healthy emotional development, well beyond the early years. Through play, children learn to manage big feelings, repair relationships and build attention and resilience. When these opportunities reduce, schools often see the impact through behaviour and wellbeing, particularly when learning feels slower or less stimulating than digital environments.
These patterns often begin earlier than we sometimes realise. Research and reports from early years settings suggest increased screen exposure can affect speech, interaction and shared play. By the time children reach school, some developmental foundations may already be under strain, which matters for both primary and secondary settings.
Creating space in the school day to support behaviour and wellbeing
It’s no surprise that many schools are rethinking access to phones, not as punishment, but as protection. Inspectors and DfE mobile phone policy are also paying close attention, with Ofsted raising questions about mobile phones as a potential safeguarding issue. Some schools have introduced phone pouches or centralised collections, while others focus on teaching responsible use and clear boundaries. Approaches vary, but the intention is broadly the same, to restore time and space for learning, socialising and emotional regulation during the school day.
Learning alongside children in a fast moving digital world
At Thrive, screen related challenges are not treated as a tech battle. They are understood as developmental and relational. When adults share an understanding of behaviour as communication, schools are better placed to respond with curiosity rather than control, rebuild opportunities for connection and play, and create environments where children feel safe enough to engage fully with learning and with each other.
As technology evolves at pace, adults are often learning how to navigate this landscape at the same time as children. There isn’t a finished rulebook. What matters is creating space for reflection, shared understanding and informed boundaries, so schools can respond thoughtfully rather than reactively.
Join our upcoming webinar: AI and wellbeing, what schools are noticing and why it matters
We’ll be exploring how emerging technologies, including AI, are shaping children’s wellbeing, behaviour and learning, and what this means for schools in practice.
Tuesday 3rd February | 4:00pm - 4:45pm
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