A group of primary schools are set to ban pupils from bringing in smartphones on site.
Headteachers and parents from schools across Solihull attended an event at Arden Academy in Knowle on Thursday, to discuss the dangers of pupils being online and using smartphones.
Jodie Hales, head of school for Key Stage 2 at Dorridge Primary, told the BBC smartphones would be banned altogether at the site from September.
The school will join Knowle Primary and Bentley Heath Primary with banning pupils from bringing in the devices from the start of the next academic year.
Speaking to the BBC after the event, Mrs Hales said children in years five and six were currently able to bring in smartphones, with 90% doing so due to safety reasons, such as walking home.
“But actually hearing from all the experts today we know that that isn’t actually going to help them,” she explained.
“So we are going to ban all smartphones from September in our school, so no children will be able to bring a smartphone into school.”
Gemma Thelwell, head of school for Key Stage 1 at Dorridge Primary, said smartphones were an issue the school saw on a daily basis and had lead to “lots of lost learning time”.
“The impact on children’s mental health is staggering, we can’t just be blind to this anymore,” Mrs Thelwell, who helped organise the event, said.
“We need parents to work with schools to make sure that we are keeping our young people safe.”
Officers from West Midlands Police joined headteachers and parents at the event on Thursday.
PC Ben Lowe, schools intervention and prevention officer, said about 80% of his work within schools in the area was about being online and using social media.
“Unfortunately, we’ll get fall outs from friendship groups and various offences that can be committed, whether that be malicious communications or harassment,” he said.
According to figures from Ofcom last year, nearly a quarter of UK five to seven year olds now have their own smartphone.
Dr Claire Lunham, senior educational psychologist, said she didn’t think most parents knew that smartphones and social media were “causing harm” but people were shocked to see the statistics.
“Smartphones are just so widespread in our lives now, they’re in every single home and I think children are understandably wanting to access parents phones,” she explained.
“And if parents aren’t aware of the harms and dangers, then it’s a very slippery slope.”
