A United Kingdom’s Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan, will order schools to outlaw smartphones during lessons, and also in breaks, in a bid to end disruption and make it easier for pupils to focus.
The ban on the use of mobiles in the classroom follows years of debate about their impact and and how it will be enforced is dependent on individual state schools.
The announcement will be made on Monday at the Conservative Party’s annual conference in Manchester.
Daily Mail reports that a government source said new guidance would be issued to schools across England requiring them to take action.
The source mentioned that Gillian believes that mobile phones pose a serious challenge in terms of distraction, disruptive behaviour, and bullying.
Some schools already ban the use of mobiles, with pupils required to hand in their phones each morning or face the punishment of a detention if they are caught using them.
But many others still permit their use, particularly during breaks, despite growing evidence of the damage they cause.
