Welsh Government to issue statutory guidance on restricting use of mobile phones in schools
The Welsh Government will publish statutory guidance restricting mobile phone use in schools, months after the previous government said the decision should stay with individual schools.
The guidance will apply to local authorities and schools across Wales, including Flintshire, and will set out national expectations for how phones are used during the school day.
In January 2026, then Cabinet Secretary for Education Lynne Neagle told the Senedd that decisions on smartphone use, including during break times, remained a matter for individual schools. She said the issue was complex, that any approach must be evidence based, and that the government could issue statutory guidance once a review was complete.
That review has now reported, and the government now led by Plaid Cymru has committed to act.
Cabinet Minister for Education and Welsh Language Anna Brychan said she had listened to calls for stronger clarity on the issue.
A Welsh Government workforce survey found that while most schools already have a mobile phone policy, there was no consistent approach across the system. Of those who responded, 82% were in favour of statutory restrictions.
The scale of phone use among pupils is set out in separate figures. A snapshot survey by the Children’s Commissioner for Wales in October 2024 found that 97% of secondary school learners owned a smartphone, and 94% brought it into school. Among primary children, 62% owned one and 77% took it to school.
At present, individual schools in Flintshire set their own rules on phone use, and the new guidance would establish a national standard they are expected to follow.
The guidance will be consulted on at the start of the school year and evaluated over the year, with the option to strengthen expectations further if needed.
Anna Brychan said: “Our 100 day plan was clear we would act and I have listened to the calls for stronger clarity on this issue. This is why the government will publish statutory guidance to provide clear national expectations on how mobile phones are used in schools.”
She said she supported heads who wanted to go further. “I want to be clear: as Cabinet Minister, I fully support – and strongly encourage – headteachers to introduce clear and robust restrictions on mobile phone use during the school day, up to and including a full restriction across the school site. I am mindful some children will always need exceptions for medical reasons for example. By consulting on guidance at the start of the school year I am giving schools the clarity they want quickly, and creating a safer learning environment by reducing distractions now.”
The announcement comes as the UK Government set out separate plans for new restrictions on under-16s’ access to social media.
Anna Brychan said the Welsh Government would assess the implications and work with school leaders in Wales as those plans developed.
A ban on phones enforceable in law would require legislation.
Statutory guidance sits below that, setting expectations schools are required to have regard to rather than a legal prohibition.
The consultation on the guidance will take place during the current school year.
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