Suffolk school leader urges greater focus on tech companies to protect young people
A new report from Ofcom says phones are responsible for shorter attention spans
Social media is “chipping away at attention spans” and contributing to disruptive behaviour in classrooms, Ofsted’s chief inspector has warned, whilst a Suffolk education leader says phones are not solely to blame, but that technology companies must take “far greater responsibility” for all the ways social media impacts young people.
The report: "It's wrong for children to access social media"
In his annual report, Sir Martyn Oliver said the influence of social media “clearly plays a part” in rising behaviour concerns in schools, including eroding children’s “patience for learning” and promoting “disrespectful attitudes”.
Sir Martyn said schools should act as a “sanctuary” from mobile phones, warning that more pupils are struggling to concentrate, and that disruptive behaviour is one of the reasons teachers are leaving the profession.
“It’s clear to me that schools need to help their pupils navigate the risks and pitfalls of their online lives, but there is no need to facilitate access on school grounds,” he said. “Far better to provide children with sanctuary from their mobile devices once the school gates close.”
He added, “I think it is just wrong for children to access social media. Most of them have an age limit on them, and most of them just ignore the fact that children actually are using their services.”
Absence ‘endemic’ and rising, Ofsted says
Ofsted reported that the number of children missing education entirely has risen by 19% in a year. Sir Martyn said: “How can children missing entirely from education have risen by a fifth in one year? If that’s not a scandal of attendance, I don’t know what is.”
Suspensions fell slightly in autumn 2024/25 compared with the record highs of the year before, but remain significantly above pre-pandemic levels. Six in 10 suspensions were issued for persistent disruptive behaviour.
Sir Martyn said under Ofsted’s new inspection framework, introduced in November, he wants to look more closely at how schools’ attendance and behaviour policies are working for different groups of children.
Legal challenges and calls for stricter controls
The debate around phone use in schools continues nationally. In November, teenager Flossie McShea and mother-of-three Katie Moore joined two fathers in seeking a judicial review of government phone guidance, arguing smartphones should be banned from all schools.
Separately, Esther Ghey, mother of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey, has launched a campaign calling for a statutory ban on phones in schools. She argues lockable pouches funded by the government would help ensure students cannot access their devices during the day.
Analysis from the Centre for Social Justice this week estimated that more than 800,000 children are using social media before starting school, based on Ofcom research showing four in 10 parents of three- to five-year-olds report their child uses at least one platform.
Suffolk head teachers’ leader: “Companies should take far greater responsibility”
Responding to the report, Dave Lee-Allan, executive director of the Suffolk Association of Secondary Head Teachers, said schools are facing complex challenges but cannot tackle the issue alone.
For many years, he said he had been “pro technology” in schools, believing it was important to teach young people to use devices “effectively” because they “dominate the world of work and social lives”.
However, he expressed growing concern about the influence of online platforms.
He said: “The companies that control this content should take far greater responsibility for what they’re doing.”
Mr Lee-Allan said families also have a crucial role, warning that responsibility cannot sit solely with schools.
“I always spoke about the thing called the tripod,” he said. “There are three legs to a tripod and on top of the tripod sits student success, and the three legs are the student themselves, home and the school.
“So each of those has responsibility for how they deal with the world that meets us at the door.”
He added: “Unfortunately, you do have families that turn a blind eye to what their young people are doing, or are ignorant of it, or want to do something about it but feel unempowered.
“And others that are very, very active, that maintain really, really strong communication and trust between young people so that there is a kind of shared exploration of the world… and discussion around them.
“And families are far more impactful on young people than a school.”
Government says schools already have the power to ban phones
Government guidance introduced previously encouraged schools to restrict phone use, but stopped short of mandating a full ban.
A survey by the Children’s Commissioner earlier this year found most secondary schools (79%) allow pupils to bring phones but require them to be kept out of sight. Just 3.5% banned phones entirely.
More recent Department for Education survey data found fewer than one in 10 secondary leaders require students to hand in phones or leave them somewhere they cannot access.
The Government says schools already have the power to ban phones and that it supports headteachers to take steps to prevent disruption.
Pepe Di’iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, welcomed Ofsted’s focus on behaviour and attendance, but said schools need “funding and specialist support” to address the challenges they face.