England has taken a major step to control the increased use of smartphones among teenagers.
A national academy chain with 35,000 students has become the first in England to ban smartphones in its schools.
As per BBC, the Ormiston Academies Trust made this decision due to concerns over the negative effects of social media and mobile phone use on teenagers' mental health.
The trust, which manages 44 state schools, has already begun implementing the ban, with eight secondary schools enforcing the new rules this term, and the others set to follow.
Tom Rees, the trust's chief executive, said in a statement to the Guardian, “We are seeing huge and real concerns around mental health, post-pandemic. These are not just self-reported, we’re also seeing real concerns about self-harm, attempted suicide, A&E admissions – these are facts from across the world involving young people and adolescents.”
He further added, “We’re seeing a clear correlation between that and mobile phone and social media use, in particular. Not all mobile phone use is equal and the relationship between that and adolescent mental health, we think, is overwhelming.”
Several other schools in England have also introduced phone restrictions.
Earlier this year, the Department for Education updated its guidance to give school leaders the authority to ban phones during school hours.
