Smartphone Bans in UK Schools: Effects on Children's Play &

Walk past a secondary school gate at lunchtime and something has shifted. Where clusters of bowed heads once stared into glowing screens, more of them are now talking, arguing over a game, or simply looking at one another.

The change is not accidental. Schools across England have been asked to remove phones from the school day, and the effects on how children spend their free hours have become one of the more interesting stories in education.

At Jaques, we have watched children play since 1795, and we make the sort of games that fill the gaps a phone leaves behind. Our wooden toys are crafted from FSC-certified timber and tested to UKCA and CE safety standards, because the objects a child returns to should be built to last and safe to hold.

What the UK Smartphone Ban in Schools Actually Means and Where It Stands Right Now

In January 2024, the UK Department for Education issued statutory guidance advising schools in England to ban the use of mobile phones throughout the school day, including during breaks and lunch. That last detail matters. The guidance does not stop at lessons; it extends to the unstructured hours when children were most likely to reach for a screen.

The guidance is not a single national law. It leaves the practical method to each school, which may ask pupils to hand phones in, lock them in pouches, or keep them switched off and out of sight. The direction of travel, though, is clear and consistent across the country.

England is following a path others have already taken. France introduced a nationwide ban on mobile phones in primary and secondary schools in September 2018, under its law for trust in schools. Several years of evidence now sit behind the idea rather than in front of it.

The scale of the question becomes obvious when you look at ownership. Ofcom's 2023 report found that 24% of 5 to 7 year olds and 91% of 12 to 15 year olds in the UK own their own smartphone. By the time a child reaches secondary school, the phone is close to universal.

So the guidance is less about confiscating an occasional gadget and more about reshaping the default of an entire school day. For most pupils, the phone was always there. Removing it changes what the hours in between lessons are made of, and that is where the more surprising findings begin.

Why It Matters: What Phones Were Replacing During the School Day

A phone in a pocket is rarely idle. During lessons it fragments attention; during breaks it replaces the messy, face-to-face business of being a child among other children.

The academic case for removing it is well established. A London School of Economics study published in 2015 found that banning mobile phones in schools increased test scores by 6.4%, with the effect twice as large for low-achieving students. A UNESCO report from 2023 reached a similar conclusion, estimating an improvement equivalent to an additional week of learning per year, again with the greatest benefit for lower-achieving pupils.

The gains are not evenly spread, which is the point. The children who struggle most are the ones a phone distracts most, and they are the ones who recover the most ground when it is put away.

Beyond marks on a page sits something harder to measure. Research published in the Journal of Adolescent Health in 2019 found that greater screen time was associated with lower psychological well-being in children aged 2 to 17, including less curiosity, lower self-control, and more difficulty making friends.

Those three qualities are precisely what unstructured play builds. Curiosity grows when a child has nothing to look at but the world in front of them. Self-control is practised over the rules of a game. Friendships form in the negotiation of who goes first.

So the phone was not filling empty time. It was quietly occupying the space where these skills are normally learned. The value of removing it is best understood by looking at what rushes in to take its place, as we explore in how play develops social skills in children.

What Children Actually Do When Phones Are Taken Away

The first reaction is often restlessness. Children who have leaned on a screen for years do not instantly know what to do with an empty ten minutes. Then, usually within days, the boredom does its work and play returns.

Card games reappear. Small competitions spring up. Groups form around whoever brought something to do with their hands. The playground becomes noisier, more physical, and more social, because the alternative to a phone is almost always another person.

This is where the difference between cooperative and competitive play becomes visible, a distinction we look at in our piece on cooperative play versus competitive play in children. A shared game asks children to read each other, take turns, and manage the small frustrations of losing, none of which a screen requires.

Teachers frequently report calmer afternoons. Part of that is attention returning to lessons, but part of it is that play is regulating. Children who have moved, laughed, and argued through a break are steadier when they sit back down, a process we describe in how children learn to self-soothe through calm play.

Traditional games travel well in this environment because they need no charging and no signal. A set of our traditional games or a simple deck can occupy a group of any age, and the classics endure precisely because they still work when everything else is switched off.

The lesson is not that children secretly disliked their phones. It is that, given a moment and something to do, they reach for the older pleasures readily. Play was never gone. It was simply waiting for the space to come back.

How to Carry the Phone-Free Habit Into Your Home and Garden

The school day is only part of a child's week. If phones return the moment the gates close, much of the benefit is lost at home. The habit is worth carrying across the threshold, though at home you have neither a policy nor a pouch to help you.

What you have instead is the arrangement of the room. Children reach for whatever is nearest and easiest. If the nearest thing is a screen, the screen wins; if it is a board or a ball, the odds shift. Leaving our board games out and within reach does more than any rule.

The garden is the most underused resource of all. Fresh air and space invite the kind of loud, whole-body play that a screen can never offer. Our guide to the best outdoor toys for screen-free garden play collects the games that pull children outside without much prompting.

Independence is the quality to protect. A child who can happily occupy themselves for half an hour is not bored; they are practising. Our list of 30-minute independent play activities by age is built around exactly this, matched to what a child can manage alone.

You need not fill every hour. A phone-free home is not one where an adult constantly entertains; it is one where the materials for self-directed play are simply present and the screen is not the default. Boredom is allowed to do its useful work.

Consistency matters more than perfection. A regular rhythm of screen-free time, protected as firmly as any other family habit, teaches a child that the day contains more than a feed to scroll. Our range of children's toys is designed to make that rhythm easy to keep.

What Games and Toys Help Children Rediscover Independent Play

Not every toy invites a child back into their own imagination. The best ones are open-ended, tactile, and built to be returned to again and again, which is why well-made wooden toys have outlasted a century of novelties.

For younger children, our wooden toys reward the kind of quiet, absorbed play that screens interrupt. Stacking, sorting, and building ask a child to solve small problems with their hands, and there is no reward louder than the satisfaction of a tower that stands.

For families and groups, board games do the social work that phones displaced. Draughts, chess, and Ludo teach turn-taking, patience, and gracious losing, and they scale from a quiet pair to a noisy table. A single set from our board games can occupy an evening that would otherwise dissolve into separate screens.

The traditional games hold a particular value here. Dominoes, tiddlywinks, and playing cards are simple enough for a child to run themselves, which is the whole point. Our traditional games put the child in charge of the fun, not an app.

Durability is not a small matter. A toy that survives years of use becomes the one a child reaches for by instinct, and it can pass to a younger sibling intact. Timber built from FSC-certified wood and tested to UKCA and CE standards is made to be that lasting object.

The smartphone ban in schools has done something quietly remarkable: it has reminded a generation that they know how to play. The role of a good toy is simply to be there when they do, ready to be picked up. You will find plenty of them across our range of children's toys.

Frequently Asked Questions About Smartphone Ban Schools

Are smartphones banned in UK schools?

In January 2024, the UK Department for Education issued statutory guidance advising schools in England to ban mobile phone use throughout the school day, including during breaks and lunch. The guidance applies to all state-funded schools in England, though individual schools set their own policies. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have issued similar recommendations. According to Ofcom's 2023 report, 91% of 12–15 year olds in the UK own a smartphone, making clear why schools are acting to manage device use during learning hours.

What are the benefits of banning phones in schools?

Evidence suggests meaningful academic and social benefits. A 2015 London School of Economics study found that banning mobile phones in schools increased test scores by 6.4%, with the effect twice as large for lower-achieving pupils. A 2023 UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report found that school phone bans improved student performance by the equivalent of an additional week's learning per year. Beyond academics, removing phones during breaks encourages face-to-face interaction, physical activity, and imaginative play — all of which support children's social development and wellbeing.

Do phone bans in schools actually work?

Yes, according to available evidence. The 2015 London School of Economics study by Beland and Murphy found a 6.4% improvement in test scores following school phone bans, with the greatest gains among lower-achieving students. The 2023 UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report corroborated this, finding performance gains equivalent to an extra week of learning annually in countries operating bans. France introduced a nationwide ban in September 2018 and has reported positive outcomes. The evidence consistently points to bans being most beneficial for disadvantaged and lower-achieving pupils.

What do children play at school when phones are taken away?

When phones are removed, children tend to return to social and physical play that was common before smartphones became widespread. Playgrounds see more running games, football, skipping, and imaginative group play. Children rediscover conversation, negotiation, and the ability to organise their own activities — skills that research links to stronger friendships and self-regulation. A 2019 study in the Journal of Adolescent Health found greater screen time was associated with lower curiosity and more difficulty making friends, suggesting that phone-free breaks actively support children's social confidence and creativity.

How do I get my child off their phone at home?

Establish clear boundaries rather than relying on willpower alone. Designate phone-free times — mealtimes, an hour before bed, and during homework — and apply the same rules to adults in the household. Replace screen time with engaging alternatives: board games, outdoor activities, craft projects, or traditional games. Create a central charging point outside bedrooms overnight. Physical activity and social play naturally reduce the pull of screens. Consistency matters more than restriction; children adapt well to routines when expectations are set calmly and maintained.

What age should children have a smartphone?

There is no universal rule, but Ofcom's 2023 data shows 24% of 5–7 year olds and 91% of 12–15 year olds in the UK already own a smartphone. Research published in the Journal of Adolescent Health in 2019 linked greater screen time among children aged 2–17 with lower psychological wellbeing, reduced curiosity, and greater difficulty forming friendships. Many child development specialists recommend delaying smartphone ownership until secondary school at the earliest, and starting with a basic phone for safety rather than a device with full internet and social media access.

Why is free play important for primary school children?

Free play — unstructured time without adult direction or screens — allows primary-age children to develop creativity, problem-solving, resilience, and social skills. During free play, children practise negotiating rules, managing conflict, taking turns, and self-regulating emotions; skills that underpin academic and social success. Research in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that excessive screen time was associated with lower self-control and greater difficulty making friends, suggesting that protecting time for active, screen-free play is directly linked to children's psychological wellbeing and development.

What outdoor games can children play without screens?

A wide range of traditional outdoor games require nothing more than space and other players. British favourites include British Bulldog, What's the Time Mr Wolf, Stuck in the Mud, Hopscotch, Rounders, Skipping, Conkers, Tag, Hide and Seek, and French Cricket. Games like Marbles, Quoits, and Croquet can be played in gardens. These games develop physical coordination, social negotiation, and strategic thinking. Many have been played in British schoolyards and gardens for generations and remain genuinely engaging for children aged 5 and upwards without any need for screens or batteries.

How do I encourage my child to play independently at home?

Independent play develops gradually and requires an environment that supports it. Offer open-ended materials — building sets, art supplies, balls, or classic board games — rather than activities with a single correct outcome. Resist the urge to direct or entertain; instead, make yourself available nearby while allowing your child to lead. Start with short periods and extend them over time. Avoid filling every gap with screens, as children often discover imaginative play once boredom is allowed to settle. Praise effort and invention rather than the end result to build confidence in self-directed activity.

What are the best traditional games for children aged 6 to 12?

Children aged 6–12 thrive with games that combine strategy, social interaction, and manageable challenge. Classic board games such as Chess, Draughts, Ludo, Snakes and Ladders, Scrabble Junior, and Reversi develop logical thinking and patience. Card games including Snap, Happy Families, and Rummy are easy to learn and genuinely competitive. Outdoors, Rounders, French Cricket, Quoits, Skittles, and Croquet suit this age group well. Jaques of London has manufactured many of these games since 1795, offering high-quality versions built to last across childhood and beyond.

Explore more from our workshop: our children toys, our wooden toys, our board games, our traditional games, 30 minute independent play activities for children by age, best outdoor toys children screen free garden play, cooperative play vs competitive play children, how children learn to self soothe science of calm play and how play develops social skills children — every piece made to the same standard Jaques has held since 1795.