Readers will know of my long-fought campaign to ban smartphones in schools and raise the age children can be on social media to 16.
After over a year of campaigning, and the government repeatedly dismissing our plans to get smartphones out of schools as an unnecessary gimmick, I am delighted that this week they have finally listened and u-turned on both.
Firstly, new laws will now ban smartphones in classrooms across England. Labour has finally accepted what teachers have been saying all along - they need clear legal backing to keep smartphones out of schools. This is the right step for behaviour, wellbeing, and attainment. It will allow pupils to focus on learning and give teachers the backing they need and have been calling for.
When we started the Schools Bill, Labour also told us a social media ban was not something they were considering, but on Monday evening after three rounds of “ping pong” between the House of Commons and the House of Lords and our campaign, they finally committed to introducing social media restrictions for under 16s. Another huge victory and a pivotal moment for children and families across Sevenoaks.
This breakthrough is down to the extraordinary courage of bereaved parents who fought not for their own children, but for other people’s children. They are the reason I kept pushing and the reason I would not accept a timetable that allowed the Government to delay action in this Parliament. We now have a more credible delivery timeline — and that matters, because every month of delay leaves more children exposed to harm.
This victory also belongs to the tireless work of campaigners, Lord Nash, teachers, health professionals, parents, and young people who spoke out and refused to be ignored.
But the campaign has not just been shaped in Westminster, but also here in Sevenoaks. Over the past year, I have visited so many local schools to hear directly from teachers and pupils about the impact smartphones and social media are having on learning, behaviour and wellbeing. I conducted a local survey of parents, which showed strong concern about the amount of time children are spending online and the risks they are exposed to, as well as held two local panel events, in Sevenoaks and in Swanley, bringing together parents, teachers, health professionals and campaigners to discuss the challenges and share practical solutions. What stood out most in both discussions was the strength of feeling from parents, and the clear desire for action to support children both inside and outside the classroom.
These conversations have directly informed the work I have been doing in Parliament, pressing Ministers, supporting amendments, and working with colleagues to keep this issue at the top of the agenda.
We have made huge progress, and this is a great win. But, I will of course continue to press the Government to ensure these restrictions are robust, effective, and delivered without delay. Our children deserve nothing less. But in the meantime, thank you to everyone who supported the campaigns. It truly shows what can be achieved when people come together, speak out, and refuse to accept the status quo when it comes to protecting our children.
As a Conservative in opposition, I said I would fight to protect childhood and stand with parents, I will continue to fight so that we hold Government to account and deliver real change.
