Digital safeguarding incidents in schools with and without smartphone policies: a cross-sectional study in England

Abstract

Background

Smartphones/social media have been hailed as offering educational benefits, but widespread concerns highlight multiple negative effects, including for learning and well-being. Some countries enforce school phone bans, whereas others (e.g., England) have guidance promoting ‘phone-free environments’ but no legal mandate at present. There is limited evidence on the benefits of such policies, including whether they promote safeguarding.

Methods

We used freedom of information (FOI) requests to investigate the relationship between mobile phone policies and digital safeguarding incidents in 114 schools in England (>90,000 pupils). We examined the prevalence and content of policies during the 2023/2024 academic year and digital incident reporting.

Results

Sixty of 114 (52.63%) schools had a mobile phone policy. Policy type and content varied significantly, with inconsistent use of ‘ban’ terminology. Digital safeguarding incidents made up only 4.9% (4183/85,540) of all incidents but varied substantially (>10% in 36/114 schools; >25% in 9), suggesting inconsistent reporting. Schools with policies, regardless of restrictiveness, reported more digital incidents. Schools with restrictive policies were more likely to refer incidents and reported more school-based incidents, although most still occurred outside school.

Conclusion

Safeguarding incidents involving smartphones or social media are occurring in schools throughout England. Schools with mobile phone policies were more likely to report digital safeguarding incidents, suggesting an association between policy presence and reporting. Vast variation in policy content and inconsistent ‘ban’ rhetoric undermine the potential for effective safeguarding. These findings underscore the need for standardised definitions of digital risks and consistent policy approaches.