Students at a preparatory school are being given old-fashioned ‘brick’ phones as smartphones become increasingly restrictive.
Brighton College Prep School in London’s posh Kensington and Chelsea district is to give pupils aged 10 and up a basic Nokia phone, which will only allow them to receive text messages and calls.
The £30,000-a-year school will become the first in Britain to ban smartphones for pupils aged 10 and over.
This follows research by the school into the impact of technology on student learning.
The measure, which will be introduced at their preparatory school in September, follows a move by the prestigious Eton College, which banned all smartphones from new pupils aged 13 and over.
A similar rule is being introduced at Thomas’s in Battersea, south London, where guests included Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
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The blanket ban on smartphones is expected to be adopted by hundreds of other schools in Britain next school year.
Brighton College Prep, a school with 335 pupils, says it will also limit time spent in front of the computer or TV.
For their children, the television will only be used in exceptional cases, while the school maintains a fixed schedule with days when no technology is used.
Principal Lois Gaffney said: ‘A smartphone ban will come into effect for the community from September 2024.
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‘This means that children are not allowed to bring smartphones inside, not even at reception.’
But it’s not just students who need to rethink their smartphone use.
Principal Lois Gaffney has urged parents “not to use them in classrooms during visits, during performances or in common areas where children are present.”
Teachers are also not allowed to use smartphones in the presence of children, because ‘children quickly see unfairness in situations; we as adults should expect the same from them.’
But it’s not all bad news: pupils in groups 6 and 7 can choose the colour of the Nokia 105 they receive.
Once the parent adds a SIM card, the child can text and make calls without internet access or a camera.
In a letter to parents, the principal wrote: ‘I understand that this is a sensitive issue and that it is unlikely that we will find a solution that is completely satisfactory to all families.
However, I want to assure you that our primary focus is on ensuring the safety and well-being of our children.
‘We are committed to providing the best possible environment for them to thrive and succeed. After all, happy children are successful children, and the pastoral aspects of our education play a vital role in achieving this.’
This comes after new Prime Minister Keir Starmer indicated that he is not in favour of a ban on mobile phones for children under the age of 16.
Asked whether he would restrict the use of mobile phones by his 13-year-old daughter and 16-year-old son, Sir Keir told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “Our children have mobile phones and I am not in favour of simply banning them for children under 16.
“I think there’s a serious question about what the content is and who has control over the content. That’s something I think we need to take a closer look at.”
The prime minister would not say whether his children’s screen time was limited because he wanted to protect their privacy.