Ministers are moving to turn England's patchwork of school phone bans into law, after peers backed fresh changes to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill in a Monday vote.

Peers backed, by 276 to 169 – a majority of 107 - a Conservative amendment to ban smartphones during the school, effectively daring the government to stop treating the policy as optional guidance. 

That amendment would require schools to ban both the use and possession of smartphones during the school day, though most already restrict them. The government's answer, set out in the Lords on Monday, is simple: write that approach into law.

Education minister Baroness Smith told peers that the direction of travel isn't exactly controversial, as most schools are already there.

"Our guidance is clear that all schools should be mobile phone-free by default," she said. "In making that clear, I acknowledge that we share the same policy intent… to make sure that schools are mobile phone-free environments."

She added that ministers have already tried to nudge schools along with updated advice and a bit of regulatory muscle: "We have published strengthened guidance. We have asked our network of attendance and behavior hubs to provide support to schools and, from this month, Ofsted will inspect schools' mobile phone policies."

The phone crackdown is only one front in a broader push to rein in kids' screen time. The same bill has already been used to try to push through a ban on social media for under-16s, although MPs voted against it as recently as last week. Instead, ministers have kicked the issue into a live consultation and a real-world trial involving 300 families testing app bans, curfews, and time limits – suggesting the government is taking the easier win in classrooms while the bigger fight over social media plays out elsewhere.

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For schools, this likely changes very little in practice.  Around 90 percent of secondary schools and virtually all primary schools already restrict phone use in some form, according to a 2025 survey by the Children's Commissioner for England, meaning many will simply see existing rules stamped with legal authority rather than rewritten from scratch.

Smith framed the move as common ground rather than a culture war. "We all want to protect children from the disruption and distraction caused by mobile phones throughout the school day and to create calm, focused school environments that support learning, behavior, and well-being. We are all in agreement on this."

The message from Westminster is clear: the era of "please don't use your phone in class" is being quietly retired in favor of something with a bit more bite. ®