Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar vows to ban phones from classrooms if elected first minister

The Scottish Labour leader has vowed to ban mobile phones in classrooms if he is elected first minister at May’s Holyrood election.

Anas Sarwar said the devices are having a “catastrophic” impact on young people.

It comes as concerns around the use of mobile phones in schools have skyrocketed amongst teachers, parents and pupils.

Many say the devices have become a constant distraction – disrupting learning and leading to rising rates of cyberbullying.

Teens could be facing a blanket classroom phone ban if Sarwar becomes FM. STV News

Current guidance from the Scottish Government allows individual headteachers create their own policies and decide whether to implement a full ban – with several schools across the country already taking steps to do so.

Edinburgh high schools Portobello and Queensferry are already using lockable pouches, which restrict access to phones until home time.

But with less than 100 days until the Holyrood election, the issue is also firmly on the radar of Scotland’s political parties too.

Sarwar promised he would go further, implementing a blanket ban on mobiles in every school.

“Teachers tell us that they feel there is rising violence, or fear of violence in the classroom and that pupils’ attention spans have fallen,” Sarwar told STV News.

“A lot of that can be connected to mobile phones, and what is happening on those mobile phones.

“That’s why we think it’s right that mobile phones should be banned in the classroom and that those places become safe sanctuaries, both in terms of pupils’ mental health, safety for teachers, and a concentration on the education.”

The Scottish Government says it supports a full ban, but says its current policy puts trust in Scotland’s headteachers, who know their pupils best, to take the steps they deem appropriate for their school.

Some argue there should be exceptions for pupils with medical conditions and young carers, and there are benefits to having phones in school – such as improving communication skills and independence.