The Scottish Government will consult on laws to make classrooms phone-free and will publish refreshed national guidance by the end of the month. Schools will have flexibility to ban phones in class or all day, with exemptions for carers, medical needs and additional support. Ministers cite mental-health and sleep concerns linked to smartphone use and will seek a UK-wide social-media age limit for under-16s. The move follows earlier local guidance and evidence that around one-third of pupils are distracted by devices.
Scotland Urges Phone-Free Classrooms — New Guidance and Consultation Planned
The Scottish government said it will support headteachers to introduce mobile phone bans [Getty Images]
The Scottish Government is urging schools to prepare now for tighter restrictions on mobile phone use ahead of forthcoming legislation aimed at reducing classroom disruption and protecting pupil wellbeing.
What Ministers Announced
Education Secretary Màiri McAllan told MSPs that ministers will soon launch a public consultation on making classrooms phone-free and will publish refreshed national guidance by the end of the month to help schools tackle the "spectrum of harm" associated with smartphone use.
Màiri McAllan confirmed the government's plans on phone-free classrooms [Getty Images]
"Legislation is the way for us to mandate phone-free learning, but if headteachers want to take action themselves they do not have to wait, and nor should they." — Màiri McAllan
Scope and Exemptions
The guidance will give schools flexibility: headteachers can choose to ban phones only in classrooms or across the whole school day. Exemptions will be available for pupils who need a phone for safety or welfare reasons — for example, young carers, pupils with medical needs, or those with additional support requirements.
Public Health Rationale
McAllan cited research linking smartphone use in adolescence to higher risks of depression, anxiety, poor sleep and other health problems. She said ministers will also press the UK Government to introduce an age limit on social media access, proposing a ban for under-16s as part of a broader public-health approach.
17-year-old Zak said a full ban on mobile phones in schools would be "crazy" [BBC]
Local Practice and Views
Some schools have already tightened rules. King's Park Secondary School in Glasgow bans phones in classrooms and corridors but permits use at breaks and lunchtimes. Students who spoke to BBC Scotland said the classroom ban reduced disruption, though many opposed an outright school-wide ban.
Sixth-year pupil Zak said: "A full ban of mobile phones in schools would be crazy. Phones are definitely a distraction but for student safety, we need them." Sixteen-year-old Eve agreed phones distract in lessons but valued access at breaks to contact home and find friends, and noted that social media can be a vehicle for bullying and filmed incidents.
Sixth-year pupil Eve said phones can disrupt productivity in the classroom [BBC]
Reaction
Opposition politicians criticised the announcement. Scottish Conservative education spokeswoman Meghan Gallacher called the move a "damp squib," arguing that only a complete ban would remove the risk phones pose to safety and school environments.
Background
The proposal follows guidance introduced earlier in 2024 that already allowed headteachers to implement phone bans. A 2022 study found roughly one in three pupils in Scottish classrooms had been distracted by mobile devices. In April, the UK Government announced plans for a legal ban on smartphones in schools in England.
The Scottish Government also plans a public-health campaign for young people and parents on safer internet use and says it will publish its consultation on phone-free learning as part of commitments made in the government's first 100 days.
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