School phone bans appear to be making little difference to pupils’ overall wellbeing, mental health, and test scores, a new study suggests.

Claimed to be first of its kind, the study, conducted by researchers at the University of Birmingham, investigated the affects of smart phone bans at UK secondary schools, which usually pertain to children aged 11 to 18.

Thirty different secondary schools took part, and the study investigated the effects of their various rules for the use of smart phones on breaks and lunches on 1,227 students.

Overall, the study found that full on bans of smart phone usage during school ours had little to no significant effect on students’ mental wellbeing or school grades.

Further, the study found that there was almost no significant difference between students on the amount of time students spent on their phone outside of school, no matter if their school restricted it or not.

Students who went to what the study calls ‘permissive’ schools – institutions where smart phones were allowed to be used – did spend more time on their phones, and on social media, than their peers at ‘restrictive’ schools, where smart phone usage was banned.

This, however, was described as a “weak correlation” in the study.

While mental health and focus did not see an improvement with school bans, smart phone usage was found to be an important factor in improving overall student wellbeing. The more time a student spent on their phone correlated with their level of anxiety and depression – more screen time did lead to worse mental health.

The study concluded that restrictive bans on smart phone usage at schools “in their current form do not significantly influence phone and social media use or result in better outcomes for adolescents across a range of mental, physical, and cognitive domains.”

However, the study does stipulate that it is not against smart phone bans – it merely points out that these need to be developed within the wider context of smart phone usage, and that overall smart phone usage needs to be lowered.

The study, published in the Lancet, is not the first to find a linear correlation between smart phone usage and worsening mental health.

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The strong correlation found here could have to do with the massive increase in the amount of time children spend on their phones, around four to six hours a day. This is much higher than the previously reported cut offs for enjoying any benefits from screen time, which maxes out at two hours a day, the study said.

In 2024, the UK government under the Conservative party,  intended to ban smart phones across schools in England in a move to improve learning outcomes and decrease reliance on the technology.

The study said that, while it is the first of its kind to analyse the ban’s affects, says more can be done to see how the ban affects students. For instance, researchers suggested looking into the effect of bans on behavioural addictions, as well as its influence on gaming addictions and other mental health problems.

According to government stats, nine in ten children in the UK will own a smart phone by the time they are 11, meaning they will already be familiar with the technology before they reach secondary school. The statistics for teenagers are even higher, with around 98% of 16 and 17 year olds owning a smart phone. Social media use among children, even those under 13, is also up.

The problem has grown so pervasive that even EE, a mobile carrier, has warned parents against giving young children smart phones, or even too much access to smart devices, to combat their worrying effects on mental health and focus.

If outright bans in schools appear to be making little difference, child advocates, school ministers, and government officials may be heading back to the drawing board to find more effective solutions.