"It's a matter of urgency": Warwickshire mum campaigning for no phones in schools
An estimated 6,000 secondary pupils in Warwickshire will be going smartphone free at school this year
A mother of two from Warwickshire says smartphone bans in secondary and primary schools across the region has become a matter of urgency.
Charlotte Ashton is the regional lead for the Smartphone Free Childhood campaign which aims to tackle the use of mobile phones in schools.
Through the campaign, thousands of parents in Warwickshire have signed a petition to make schools smartphone free due to growing concerns surrounding harmful materials children have access to, alongside the distractive nature of mobile devices.
Due to the growing momentum surrounding the campaign, 6,000 secondary school children are going smartphone free at school this year.
Charlotte Ashford says this is a step in the right direction: "We know that devices are a massive distraction during the school day and a huge safeguarding threat.
"I've spoken with headteachers who have made their schools 'phone-free' and they say children are now playing cards in the playground and are having healthier interactions with their peers.
"Schools which have removed smartphones say they have also seen GCSE results go up by one or two grades, which shows that it has a huge effect on their education."
Charlotte continued to share her plans for the campaign over the next academic year: "I think this could be the year that we make every school in Warwickshire smartphone free.
"This is so children have the freedom to learn, socialise and play which is what we want pupils to be doing throughout the school day."
This comes as this week the mother of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey is calling for the government to ban phones in schools as she believes they destroyed her own daughter's mental health.