Children's addiction to smartphones is damaging their education and social skills – Charles Tate

Many people tell me to ‘just take the phone away’, but in some schools that is forbidden

The end of the summer holidays saw many teachers return to the classroom with a real sense of foreboding. I know, I can hear the voices now: boohoo, go cry me a river about your six weeks off. But wait, for me, the truth is this: I love teaching. Yes, young people can, at times, be challenging, but they are funny and insightful and I find real meaning in my job. It’s not the pupils or the parents or the marking I dread, it’s the mobile phones.

A few years ago, it went like this: I would raise my eyebrows and feign a cough. The young person would glance up from their phone, with a look of guilt, offer a stuttering apology and promise it wouldn’t happen again. That was then, this is now.

Recently, I’ve found many pupils don’t even try to hide their phones, they almost seem to consider them an extension of their very selves. They are not hidden anymore but displayed, openly, on the desk, and there’s no shame in using them. From a pupil’s point-of-view, phones are a right, not a privilege.

I’ve been a teacher for more than ten years and I’ve come to the conclusion that mobile phones are damaging to the education of young people. If you don’t believe me, then ask the United Nations, which has just called for a global classroom ban. I couldn’t agree more. I have seen pupils become increasingly addicted. It might be Snapchat, TikTok, or video games.

Things are getting worse. It is becoming more and more challenging to get through a lesson without pupils constantly being distracted. But all teachers like to complain, right? Do I think we need to go back to Victorian inkwells and blackboards? Of course not. I’m not a Luddite. I think the Internet is wonderful. I love that I can find out random facts within seconds. I have, at the tips of my fingers, more information than any human in history. It truly is amazing.

The Internet is not the problem. It is the clash between the mental rigour necessary for education and the sugary rush of social media. Social media platforms like TikTok run complex algorithms specifically designed to keep viewers watching. This is not a secret. It’s business. It’s working. And it’s made Mark Zuckerberg a billionaire.

A teenager does not stand a chance against a team of skilled programmers in California. They won’t win against years of weaponised social psychology. The computer companies have been planning this for years; they had us in their web before we even knew we’d wandered in.

But what do teachers mean when we say mobile phones are “damaging”? The single biggest issue I face is pupils’ much-reduced attention spans. If something is challenging or a tad boring, they can opt out by taking a quick glance at their phone.

Pupils do this constantly: check their phone, do a bit of work, and then check again. This isn’t multitasking. Each time they switch from task to task their mind must figure out where they left off, and they lose the thread of what they were doing. Their attention is constantly fragmented. When a pupil feels uncomfortable, they reach for their comfort blanket.

Between classes, many choose to sit and play with their phones. Even those pupils who are talking often hold conversations while looking at their phone, barely aware of what’s around them. I think this is damaging their social skills and emotional intelligence. There is nothing small about small talk. Pupils should be learning how to empathise, listen and engage with their peers. These are life skills. As an awkward adult, I know.

When I complain to my non-teacher friends, their reply is simple: “Just take the phone away.” That’s far from simple. Every school seems to have its own policy. Many don’t allow teachers to take phones from pupils. It’s their property, end of story.

Teachers are often just told to ask pupils politely to put their phone away if it’s an inappropriate time. Repeat offenders? You could email their support teacher who will, when pressed, have a word. If they still don’t listen? Maybe a word with their parents or guardian. If that doesn’t work? Perhaps it’s about your lessons. Maybe you just haven’t engaged with them in the right way. After all, the pupil in question lacks confidence. Maybe just let them use their phone.

Many teachers I know are becoming disheartened and tired of constantly trying to hold the line. It’s not uncommon that teachers will tell pupils they can use their phone, for example, for a research task, but it’s impossible to monitor what they’re actually doing.

Yes, some will be looking up a diagram of the human cell. However, many are just messing about and will quickly swipe up when a teacher walks by. I don’t really blame the teacher, it means they don’t have to constantly fight a losing battle.

Britain must do what France has done: ban mobile phones in classrooms. No more pretending the problem does not exist. Schools must also be funded so that there is adequate technology in classrooms. If pupils all had access to tablets or laptops, which the school could monitor, there would be absolutely no excuse for a phone.

I believe people will look back and shake their heads in dismay at our lack of understanding. When I was a student, you could smoke in some of the common areas of the university. The thought still makes me laugh: smoking in a school. What the hell were we thinking?

Charles Tate, a pseudonym, is a teacher in a Scottish secondary school