Restrictive policies may bring a small economic benefit to schools and are not linked to better student mental wellbeing
Teachers in secondary schools in England are spending significant time policing students’ smartphone use, as the average sized school could be committing more than 100 hours each week to manage it according to new research.
Researchers from the University of Birmingham have published a new study BMJ Mental Health today following analysis of data collected from 815 students and staff from a nationally representative sample of 20 UK schools (13 with restrictive policies, 7 permissive) on the economic implications of school smartphone policies. The study is the first analysis of nationally representative data from schools on economic impact of different smartphone policies.
Self-reported data suggests that on average, schools with restrictive policies spend 102 hours or the full-time equivalent of 3.1 staff, per week overall on implementing policies. Schools with permissive policies spend slightly more time on average (108 hours or the full-time equivalent of 3.3 staff, per week).
....we are under no illusion that policing phone use is a big strain for schools and that a stricter policy is no silver bullet.
Professor Hareth Al-Janabi, senior author of the study
Schools with different policies also reported differences in the types of policing activities.
In schools with restrictive policies, staff reported that they spend less time on monitoring phone-related activities and administrative duties (e.g., recording incidents, providing staff with information and training), and more time applying behavioural sanctions for breaches of phone policy (e.g., detentions, and parent communication).
Schools who took part in the study were similarly sized (1,025 students for restrictive vs 1,056 for permissive) and close to the average UK roll size of 1,054 students.
Professor Hareth Al-Janabi, Head of the Health Economics Unit at the University of Birmingham and a senior author of the study, said: "This is the first time the economics of school phone policies has been studied in detail. Our findings present decision-makers with an assessment of both the cost and wellbeing outcomes associated with the different types of policy.
"The findings are that schools are spending a significant amount of time policing smartphone use in both types of policy. While there is a small difference in the resources needed to implement a restrictive policy, we are under no illusion that policing phone use is a big strain for schools and that a stricter policy is no silver bullet."
No significant difference in mental wellbeing for students
The new study used standardised mental health quality of life measures based on a composite set of scores on feelings such as worry, sadness, optimism as well as sleep and activity. The study found no significant differences in students’ quality of life between those at schools with permissive or restrictive policies. It also found no statistically significant difference in mental wellbeing between schools that implement restrictive versus more permissive smartphone policies, supporting previous findings by the same research group.
Dr Samuel Perry, a Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham and first author of the study said: "We did see a small difference in the costs to schools of enforcing smartphone policies but in either a permissive or restrictive school there are still significant burdens on staff time, including on teachers."
The Birmingham team’s paper follows their study published in Lancet Regional Health Europe looking at smartphone and social media usage and a range of mental health, wellbeing and other outcomes depending on school policies. Among the schools that took part in the study, 20 had various forms of restrictive phone policies in place.
This previous study found that there was no difference in outcomes for students who attend schools that ban smartphones throughout the school day, including:
- Mental wellbeing, anxiety and depression,
- Physical Activity and Sleep, and
- Educational Outcomes - English and Maths attainment and levels of disruptive classroom behaviour.
Professor Victoria Goodyear from the University of Birmingham and Chief Investigator of the SMART Schools Study said: "School phone policies, whether permissive or restrictive, are a huge drain on a school to enforce. The high proportions of teacher time spent managing phone use or phone related behaviours during the school day is potentially being diverted away from other types of wellbeing promoting activities, such as pastoral support or extra-curricular activities. We therefore need new ways of approaching adolescent smartphone use in schools."
The research team are continuing to develop robust evidence on UK secondary schools’ implementation of policies regarding smartphones on outcomes for students and educators. Further information including briefings about the research to date is available at: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/projects/smart-schools
For media enquiries please contact Tim Mayo , Press Office, University of Birmingham, (0)7815 607 157.
Full citation: Perry SJ, Goodyear VA, Pallan M, et al. BMJ Ment Health 2026, doi: 10.1136/bmjment-2025-301892
About the University of Birmingham
- England’s first civic university, the University of Birmingham is proud to be rooted in of one of the most dynamic and diverse cities in the country. A member of the Russell Group and a founding member of the Universitas 21 global network of research universities, the University of Birmingham has been changing the way the world works for more than a century.
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About the National Institute for Health and Care Research
The mission of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. We do this by:
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Professor Victoria Goodyear’s main research area focuses on social media/digital technologies and young people’s health and wellbeing
Hareth Al-Janabi is a Professor of Health Economics in the Department of Applied Health Sciences, University of Birmingham
Staff profile Dr Miranda Pallan, Professor of Child and Adolescent Public Health and MBChB Senior Tutor at the Department of Applied Health Sciences
Staff profile page for Dr Samuel Perry, Research Fellow within the Department of Applied Health Sciences, University of Birmingham.
