Study Finds No Direct Link Between School Phone Bans and Student Performance

A groundbreaking study suggests that banning smartphones in schools does not directly lead to better academic performance or improved mental wellbeing among students. Researchers also found no significant differences in sleep quality, classroom behavior, physical activity, or overall screen time between schools that enforce phone bans and those that do not.

However, the study did establish a connection between excessive smartphone and social media usage and negative outcomes, such as lower academic performance, poorer mental health, reduced physical activity, sleep disturbances, and increased classroom disruptions.

This research, the first of its kind to examine school phone policies alongside student health and educational outcomes, contributes to the ongoing debate about smartphone restrictions in educational settings. Dr. Victoria Goodyear, the study's lead researcher, clarified that the findings do not oppose school phone bans but highlight that such measures alone are insufficient to mitigate the negative effects of excessive smartphone use.

Dr. Goodyear emphasized the need for strategies that go beyond simply restricting phone access in schools. She stressed that the primary focus should be on reducing the overall time students spend on their devices. The research, conducted by the University of Birmingham and published in The Lancet's European health policy journal, analyzed data from 1,227 students across 30 secondary schools in England. These schools were selected from a larger pool of 1,341 mainstream state schools in the country.

The study concluded that phone restrictions in schools did not necessarily produce the expected improvements in student focus, wellbeing, and academic success. Nevertheless, it confirmed a strong link between prolonged phone and social media use and adverse effects on mental health, sleep, physical activity, and classroom behavior. The research used the widely accepted Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scales to assess students' mental wellbeing, alongside measures of anxiety and depression.

Joe Ryrie, director of Smartphone Free Childhood, expressed surprise at the findings, stating that teachers in their network had reported noticeable benefits after implementing phone bans. He also pointed out that students in the study reported spending an average of four to six hours per day on their devices, which he described as an alarming amount of screen time.

Ryrie further advocated for stricter regulations to ensure that social media platforms become safer and less addictive for young users.