Alleyn’s in Dulwich, south London, is urging parents not to buy a smartphone for young children. At Brighton College, year seven pupils will not be able to have internet-enabled phones on site from September. Thomas’s in Battersea, south London, which was attended by Prince George and Princess Charlotte, is introducing a similar policy.
Smartphone Free Childhood, the campaign group, welcomed the policies but called for more government action.
Joe Ryrie, the group’s co-founder, told The Times: “We have to ensure it’s not only the most privileged in society who are able to protect their children. The data show that the harms caused affects those in the lowest economic households the most. On average they spend twice as much time a day on screens, and are twice as likely to report being physically threatened online.
“We need to make sure the most vulnerable in society are not left behind, and that the government launches an immediate consultation into the effects of smartphones on children so that we can protect children in households where parents don’t have the time, tech knowledge or headspace to monitor and control their access to smartphones.”