Overview
- Section 36 of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 requires state-funded schools in England to prevent pupils accessing mobile phones and similar devices during the school day, a rule that came into force on Monday, June 29.
- Ofsted will inspect and audit schools for clear, actively enforced phone policies and headteachers and academy trusts are legally responsible for how the ban is implemented.
- The law preserves narrowly scoped exemptions for medical needs and allows Years 12–13 limited phone use in designated areas while leaving schools discretion over enforcement methods such as surrendering devices, locked pouches, or switched-off-in-bags rules.
- New UCL research published after the law took effect warns blanket bans can be ineffective, erode trust, prompt student workarounds and reduce reporting of online harms by creating a so-called 'displacement effect'.
- Ministers say the measure links to broader steps including parental screen guidance, safer-AI tools and a planned under-16 social-media restriction by spring 2027, but school leaders and unions are calling for funding for storage, staffing and other costs of enforcement.