'Ban phones from kids' bedrooms' headteacher at top girls' school warns parents

Parents have been urged to ban phones from their daughters’ bedrooms.

Cathy Ellott, headteacher of Streatham and Clapham High School, encouraged parents to buy phones for their children only when “absolutely necessary” and then to opt for “brick” phones instead of smartphones, to protect the youngsters’ mental health and prevent addiction.

It comes as fears are increasing that phone-based childhoods are seriously harming mental health, with growing numbers of parents and teachers fighting back against giving children smartphones and unlimited internet access.

Ms Ellott said schools have a duty both to speak to parents about controlling their children’s smartphone use, and to teach them about the online world.

She said: “Schools play a vital role in fostering tech-savvy awareness before parents grant access to smartphones… Parents need to understand that smartphones are not equivalent to private spaces, and they should monitor their child’s usage to ensure their safety and wellbeing.

“Just as parents are vigilant about their child’s activities in the physical world, they must extend this vigilance to the digital world.”

She added: “Parents have welcomed this unified approach.”

At the school, girls in years seven to ten must lock away their phones during the school day.

Meanwhile, at All Saints Catholic College in Notting Hill, an 11-hour day has been introduced partly to break pupils’ addiction to smartphones.