West Berkshire to review phones, social media and online safety for young people
West Berkshire Council is set to run a full review of smartphones, social media use and online safety for young people in the district. The review will be presented to the council’s executive committee for recommended approval on Thursday, March 19 as part of a deep-dive into children’s mental health.
The work will look at best practice and initiatives from other local authorities, and the council will be asked to adopt a policy to support and provide advice for parents about children’s social media use and online safety.
Schools in the area are moving towards a default phone-free environment, banning mobile use during lessons, between lessons and at break and lunchtime. Some, including Oaklands School in West Berkshire, ask pupils to hand in phones at reception where they are kept secure until the end of the day.
These policies aim to tackle rising pupil social, emotional and mental health needs and to curb cyberbullying. Students are typically prevented from using phones even in school parking lots while waiting to be picked up.
The Department for Education has previously said it was "for school leaders to develop and implement a tailored policy". New guidance states “all schools should be mobile phone-free environments by default, anything other than this should be an exception only”. The guidance is non-statutory, so schools are not legally required to follow it.
Niki Hinman, Local Democracy Reporter
