Will banning phones in schools improve behaviour and wellbeing?

The conversation around mobile phones in schools has shifted rapidly over the past year. What was once guidance is now becoming a much stronger national expectation, with increasing pressure on schools to create phone-free environments and actively enforce mobile phone policies.

For many school leaders, this feels like a positive and necessary step. Concerns around distraction, online harms, bullying, classroom disruption and declining attention spans have become increasingly difficult to ignore.

But beyond the headlines and political debate, many teachers and leaders are asking a deeper question: Will banning phones actually improve behaviour, focus and wellbeing in the long term?

The answer is more complex than a simple yes or no.

While reducing access to phones may improve focus and reduce disruption for some pupils, phones are often connected to much deeper issues around regulation, anxiety, belonging, habit and emotional wellbeing. Removing them does not automatically resolve the needs sitting beneath the behaviour.

At Thrive, we believe this conversation matters - not just because of what schools are implementing, but because of what children and young people need in order to feel safe, connected and able to learn.

  

 

   

Why phone bans alone may not improve behaviour

Removing phones may change the environment. It may reduce some distractions. It may improve focus for certain pupils in certain contexts.

But behaviour and wellbeing are rarely driven by one factor alone.

Phones have become woven into young people’s emotional and social lives. For some pupils, they represent:

• reassurance and connection,
• a coping mechanism during moments of stress,
• access to friendships and identity,
• emotional escape,
• stimulation and dopamine regulation,
• or simply habit

This does not mean schools should avoid boundaries. Boundaries matter. But if a phone has become part of how a young person manages anxiety, overwhelm or social pressure, removing it without understanding the need underneath can sometimes increase dysregulation rather than reduce it.

This is where the conversation becomes more nuanced.

As education and learning coach Dr Tej Samani recently argued, prohibition alone does not teach self-control, build resilience or help children understand why their attention feels fractured in the first place.

Children and young people increasingly need support to:

• understand how attention works,
• recognise when their brain feels overloaded,
• build healthy digital habits,
• tolerate boredom and stillness,
• and develop the emotional regulation skills needed to navigate the digital world safely.

Focus works like a muscle. Regulation develops through relationships, modelling, repetition and support - not simply through restriction.

    

The challenge for schools is implementation, not just policy

Most schools already have some form of mobile phone policy in place. The challenge is often not deciding whether phones should be present in school - but implementing expectations consistently and sustainably.

School leaders are navigating complex questions, including:

• How do we enforce policies consistently without increasing staff pressure?
• What happens when pupils become dysregulated without access to phones?
• How do we support pupils with SEND or additional needs?
• How do we maintain positive relationships with parents and carers?
• What role should education around digital wellbeing play alongside restriction?

Many schools are also managing practical considerations around storage and enforcement, including lockers, sealed pouches and safeguarding procedures. And while some pupils may respond positively to clearer boundaries, others may need additional relational and emotional support as those boundaries change. This is why a one-size-fits-all approach rarely works.

    

What pupils need alongside phone-free approaches

Creating calmer, more focused school environments matters. But meaningful change is most likely when schools look beyond the device itself and consider what pupils need in order to feel regulated, connected and ready to learn.

At Thrive, we know behaviour is communication. When we understand what sits beneath it, we are better able to respond in ways that support long-term development rather than simply managing short-term compliance.

Alongside phone-free approaches, pupils may need:

• emotionally available adults and trusted relationships,
• support with self-regulation and co-regulation,
• opportunities to build attention and concentration gradually,
• predictable routines and boundaries,
• education around digital wellbeing and online safety,
• and safe spaces to talk about anxiety, pressure and social experiences.

Protecting children from harm matters. But preparing them to live well in a digital world matters too. That means helping children develop awareness, resilience and regulation - not simply removing access.

    

Join our free webinar, Beyond the Ban: what phone-free schools mean for behaviour, regulation & wellbeing

As more schools move towards phone-free approaches, the challenge for leaders is not simply deciding whether phones should be present in school - but understanding what pupils need when they are not.

In our upcoming free webinar, Thrive's Viv Trask-Hall and guest speaker and mental health expert Amy Sayer will explore:

• what phone-free approaches are likely to change - and what they won’t,
• why behaviour and engagement do not always improve in the ways schools expect,
• practical ways to support pupil regulation when phones are no longer available as a coping tool,
• and how schools can maintain consistent expectations without adding to staff pressure.

Drawing on Thrive’s neuroscience-informed, child development approach alongside practical school leadership experience, this session will help schools think clearly about what makes the biggest difference for both pupils and staff.

Thursday 4th June | 4-4.45pm BST

Register for free