England plans to introduce new rules that will prohibit primary and secondary school students from using mobile phones throughout the day in school

China News Service, London, November 10 (Reporter Ouyang Kaiyu) Campus mobile phone management policies in England will be further tightened. According to the new version of government guidance documents, starting from September 2027, primary and secondary school students will not be able to touch mobile phones throughout the day in school.

The British government stated that the signal sent by the government is very clear: campus should be used for learning and socializing, not for browsing on mobile phones. The government says mobile phones can easily distract students and prevent them from communicating face-to-face. The school can choose the implementation method on its own, including sealed storage bags, storage in lockers, centralized collection when entering the school, or completely prohibiting mobile phones from entering the campus. Some schools have invested funds to purchase equipment. After the implementation of controls, students' communication between classes has increased, and their classroom concentration and academic performance have improved.

The principals' trade union has expressed reservations about this policy direction. The person in charge of the union said that the implementation of the new regulations requires supporting funds, and the purchase of lock bags and storage facilities is expensive. Without government funding, it will be very difficult for schools to implement it. There are also educational groups and children's affairs commissioners who support the new regulations and believe that there are loopholes in the old control methods, and there are still students hiding in the bathroom to watch short videos.

The report also mentioned that with the decentralization of education in the UK, campus mobile phone policies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are different. This control of mobile phones in schools is independent of the regulations that will take effect in March next year and ban teenagers under the age of 16 from using social media platforms.