Smartphone Free
You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending
C.S. Lewis
At Abbey View Primary Academy, we are committed to providing a safe, caring and purposeful learning environment where all children can thrive. We recognise that many parents and carers choose to provide their child with a mobile phone or similar device to support communication and safety when travelling to and from school, particularly for older pupils who may walk independently.
As part of this commitment, we are becoming a smartphone free academy supporting the Smartphone Free Childhood Initiative. While we recognise that smartphones are an important part of modern life and can offer many benefits, we also understand that, if not used appropriately, they can present safeguarding concerns, distract from learning and negatively impact social interaction and wellbeing.
Our approach aims to strike a sensible balance between supporting pupil safety and encouraging healthy habits around technology use. By reducing the presence of smartphones, we hope to promote concentration, positive relationships and greater engagement, ensuring that Abbey View remains a safe, inclusive and purposeful environment for everyone.
What is Smartphone Free Childhood?
Smartphone Free Childhood is a national parent-led movement sparked by concerns about smartphone and social media use amongst children.
It aims to give families a genuine choice about the age at which they allow their child to have a smartphone. Through collective action - in the form of signing a voluntary pledge - parents can be reassured that their child will no longer be ‘the odd one out’ if they don’t have a smartphone.
For more information visit:
Smartphone and Smartwatch Free from September 2026
From September 2026, Abbey View Primary Academy will introduce a Smartphone Free Policy alongside our Walking to School Policy. While children in Year 5 and Year 6 may still bring a mobile phone to school where permission has been granted under the Walking to School Policy, smartphones and smart watches will not be permitted on the academy site.
This initiative reflects a growing body of evidence highlighting the impact of smartphone use on children’s wellbeing, including effects on mental health, attention, sleep and social interaction. By adopting a clear and consistent approach, we aim to support children in developing strong relationships, positive social skills and a greater focus on their learning and play.
Risks associated with Smatphone Use
Smartphones offer advanced features, including internet access and social media, which can lead to various risks:
- Opportunity Cost- Compared to any other generation in history, children growing up in the smartphone era spend less time outdoors, less time playing, less time reading, less time moving and more time scrolling, alone
- Harmful Content- Smartphones mean explicit, violent, and extreme content is only ever a few clicks away, often served up by algorithms which children are unaware of. Once children see these things, they can never be unseen
- Mental Health- Excessive use can contribute to anxiety and depression. Evidence shows a direct link between early smartphone use and declining mental health
- Addiction- The business model is simple: the longer children stay on their platforms; the more money companies make. That is why apps are packed with addictive features and why children find it so hard to put them down
- Cyberbullying- Arguments and fallouts used to end at the school gate. Now they follow children home, lingering on their screen’s day and night, with no safe space to switch off, process or recover
- Attention- Fragmenting their focus and making it harder to concentrate on schoolwork, hobbies or real-life friendships. Constant distraction is the new normal
- Sleep- The blue light from screens disrupts melatonin, making it harder to fall asleep, while endless scrolling and late-night notifications keep children wired when they should be resting
The Evidence
Opportunity Cost
Harmful Content
Mental Health
Addiction
Attention
Sleep
More evidence can be found here:
Smartphone Free Evidence
Smartphone Free Alternatives
We understand that many parents wish for their child to have a means of contact when travelling to and from school. To support this, children may bring a simple mobile phone (non-smartphone) for communication purposes.
These devices must be handed in at the start of the school day and will be securely stored until the end of the day. An example of suitable devices can be found here
By creating a smartphone-free environment, we are helping pupils to build positive relationships, develop confidence and resilience, and engage more fully in school life and the world around them. We recognise that as an academy we play an important role in shaping healthy habits and supporting families in navigating the challenges of modern technology. Our approach is designed not only to improve focus, wellbeing and safeguarding within the academy, but also to encourage a wider culture where childhood is protected, face-to-face interaction is valued and children are given the time and space to thrive away from constant digital pressures.
We understand that every family and every child is different, and we value working in partnership with parents and carers to support safe, balanced and age-appropriate technology use. Through this policy, Abbey View Primary Academy aims to promote a calm, safe and connected school community where children can flourish academically, socially and emotionally.
