Are you concerned about the impact of smartphones on children and young people? Would you like Harpenden secondary schools to follow the lead of local primary schools and adopt smartphone policies that stop student access to smartphones during the school day?

Read and sign the open letter. 
Join local parents, carers, family members, teachers and community members. Encourage our secondary schools to join the hundreds of primary schools, secondary schools and even whole boroughs across England taking action.

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Open letter to Harpenden Secondary Schools: St George's School, Sir John Lawes School, Roundwood Park School, Katherine Warington School, St Albans Girls School and other Harpenden catchment schools. 

Dear Head Teachers,

We are writing to request Harpenden secondary schools support the children and young people of Harpenden and their families, by ensuring that students do not have access to their phones throughout the school day.

Current school practices of ‘not seen, not heard’ do not protect students from the harms of smartphones whilst at school. Given the Harpenden primary schools’ new smartphone-free policies, we ask that you consider building on this with your incoming Year 7 students in September 2025.

Reasons for Strengthening Smartphone Free Policies 

• Benefits to school and learning. Students who do not have access to their smartphones during school hours are more focused and perform better academically. Less distractions allow students to concentrate on their studies. Secondary schools with smartphone free policies report significant benefits to the culture of the school with enhanced social interaction and positive acceptance by the students, once implemented.
• Reduce harm.  Smartphone use is linked to rising levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. They’re a gateway to pornography, cyberbullying, grooming and violent content. They affect sleep, and focus – and many children show signs of behavioural addiction. Stronger school policies prevent the sharing of harmful content at school, provide a safe space free from social media pressures and cyberbullying, and support safer journeys to school.
• Support parents and primary schools. Harpenden parents are being advised by primary schools not to provide smartphones to children until at least the age of 14. Over 950 Harpenden parents have signed the Smartphone Free Childhood Pledge. Current secondary school policies undermine this advice and increase pressure on students and parents to buy one.
   

Options for Implementing Smartphone-Free Policies

We know change is harder at secondary level but the incoming cohort of Year 7s will own significantly fewer smartphones between them and so now is the time to implement this change.  Secondary schools are successfully introducing effective smartphone-free policies to protect their students and support parents who delay buying phones. As a practical step forward, strategies could include:

1. Actively discouraging students in the incoming Year 7 from bringing
   smartphones to school and encouraging their parents to choose simple phones to stay connected.
2. Introducing designated phone lockers, sealed Yondr pouches, or tutor group collections to secure any smartphones brought to school.
3. Strictly enforce policies with clear consequences for violations and strong teacher buy-in.
4. Communication with students and parents to a) support the policies, b) promote simple phones and support delaying smartphones, c) educate on reducing the harms and risks of smartphones, social media, and internet access outside of school.

The government's Mobile Phones in Schools guidance and toolkit endorses and supports schools to implement smart-phone free policies.  

For more information on the challenges and harms of Smartphone use faced by young people today, we encourage you to watch and share this recent  Harpenden School presentation on smartphones