At Camp Beaumont, we’ve been watching the guidance around children’s mobile phone use with interest; as an organisation that provides carefree school holiday experiences, jam-packed with sports, games, arts and crafts, and more. Something we have championed for a while are the benefits phone-free time can have on children’s development.
With a spotlight recently thrown on this issue of ‘phone use’, particularly in the context of schools, we investigated what the affects suggested for children are, what the Government guidance now stipulates, and how activities outside in the fresh air can benefit children far more. We hope this blog is helpful for parents, guardians, caregivers, teachers, and anyone who would like to know more.
A whole host of statistics has been released that suggest that not only is phone use amongst under 16s on the rise, but also the how damaging the effects are on their childhoods, and their development.
Communications regulator Ofcom reported earlier in 2024 that in the UK, 97% of children have their own mobile phone by the age of 12; half of those under 13 have social media, and a quarter of three and four year olds own a smartphone.
An Education Select Committee report also outlined that:
Ofcom also reports that only half of children under 12 think that being online is good for their mental health, though one in every eight children aged between eight and 17 admitted to someone being nasty or hurtful to them on a social media platform or a messaging app.
It’s no secret how much of the technology we use, specifically phones and the apps within them, such as social media, are designed to become addictive. The endless scroll invites us to carry on consuming, even when a small voice inside us screams at us to get on with something else. It’s no surprise that children are simply not equipped to fight it; the behavioural addiction statistic mentioned earlier is an example of this.
Bullying is a huge way in which phones can affect a child’s mental health. Of course, bullying has always been an issue for children and parents, but technology not only opens a world of endless and potentially harmful content to consume, but also several ways to be accessed by others.
In a 2022 study conducted by Ofcom into media use and attitudes of children and parents, it was found that ‘children were more likely to experience being bullied via technology than face-to-face: 84% of 8-17 year olds said they had been bullied this way (i.e., via text or messaging, on social media, in online games, through phone or video calls, or via other apps and sites) compared to 61% being bullied face-to-face.’
Then, there are the effects of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), and comparison via social media, both amongst peers, and in terms of the rising number of influencers showing off the highlights of an idealised lifestyle. Links have been made between social media and increased rates of depression, anxiety, and sleep disruption amongst children.
The Financial Times reported in 2023 that since 2010, the number of children who did not consider themselves likeable had doubled to 8%. There is also evidence to suggest that the longer time is spent on social media, the worse their mental health is; particularly amongst girls.
If phones are becoming something of an addiction amongst children, it’s entirely believable that it’s causing them to lead a more sedentary lifestyle. In extreme cases, a sedentary lifestyle can lead to obesity. According to the UK Government’s National Child Measurement Programme, 9.2% of reception age children, and 22.7% of year 6 children, were found to be obese in 2022/23. Whilst this is lower than in 2021/22, it’s still higher than pre-pandemic levels. Obesity can increase the risk of serious health conditions developing during childhood as well as in later life. These include high blood pressure, heart disease, strokes, diabetes and some cancers.
There are also many health concerns connected to disrupted sleep due to increased screen time, and the risk of eye strain at an early age.
This is a huge issue, which has promoted recent, widespread action that we’ll go into more detail on later. The distraction of mobile phones, with a raft of social media, gaming, and messaging functionality, causes havoc for teachers, and can seriously affect a child’s academic performance. In fact, The Policy Exchange, a centre-right think tank, recently reported that ‘schools with a mobile phone ban get better GCSE results than those with ‘laxer policies’’
There are some reasons why children owning a mobile phone can be seen as positive. Those reasons include:
From parents using tracking apps to ensure their children are getting to and from school safely, to children being able to call home if they’re out and don’t feel safe, a mobile phone can be a lifeline in terms of safety. As a form of communication that works almost anywhere, it allows a direct line of contact between parents or guardians with their child.
We’ve talked about the addiction, bullying, and comparison side of social media, but there are also elements that allow children to connect with their peers in a positive way. Particularly during lockdown, when social interaction face-to-face was pretty much forbidden, mobile phones facilitated much needed socialisation with people their own age.
Of course, not everything found on the internet is bad; there are lots of resources accessible to both children and adults that can positively impact their wellbeing, from articles and podcasts to videos and apps.
In Ofcom’s 2022 report, they reported that, ‘Eight in ten children aged 13-17 used online services to find support for their wellbeing; both Google search and online videos used for sleep, relaxation and good mood emerged as key sources for support among children.’
What is the new guidance around mobile phone use in schools?
In February 2024, the UK Government’s Department for Education published guidance that aimed to manage children’s phone use within schools. While some schools already implemented something of a ban on phones, this made prohibition of their use more general, though schools can ignore it if they choose to; it’s not statutory.
This guidance suggests that:
It seems that there is a good amount of support for this guidance; a YouGov survey conducted in February 2024 asked 2692 adults in Great Britain whether they think mobiles phones should or should not be banned from the school day - 79% said they should.
Whilst this guidance is a huge step forward in reducing mobile phone use amongst children, some say it’s not enough. In fact, some MPs are suggesting banning phones for under-16s altogether, and thousands of UK parents are calling for a ‘smartphone free childhood’.
Alternatives to a blanket ban include developing a phone specifically for under 16s that allow a line of communication but not the access to apps and games, or a ban on social media access until a certain age.
At home, reducing screen time for your child, and increasing their safety when they do access their phones and tablets, requires a multi-prong approach. Ways to go about this include:
Opening a dialogue with your child to understand how they’re using their phone, and talking through what the implications of overuse might be, can not only make them conscious of their own phone use, and empowered to limit it, but also give them confidence to speak up to you if it begins to affect them.
This is an obvious one, but when you’re at home, you’re in charge. Just like at school, you set the rules around when phones can be seen and heard, which means you can have set hours for phone use, or, for example, ban them during meals and after bedtime.
Many apps and software now allow you to regulate what your child is able to access and when; taking the time to set these up will give you some visibility on how your child is using their phone, so you can swiftly identify when intervention is needed.
This is huge; show your children that there’s more to life than the screen in their hand. The world has so much to offer a child; fun, discovery, friendships, and health and wellbeing benefits that can last long into their adult lives. By opening the door to a world of phone-free activities, many of them out in the fresh air, their reliance on phones for their sole source of entertainment can be reduced.
10 teenagers from Salford were recently tasked with ditching their smartphones and using only a basic Nokia handset as part of a BBC project that focuses on young people’s smartphone habits. The article makes for interesting reading; while some of the participants simply couldn’t handle being separated from their device (with one dropping out after just 4 hours) others persevere, using words like ‘peaceful’, ‘engaging’, and claiming to be learning more. Better sleep is reported, as is an improved connection with their parents.
One striking thing following 5 days of smartphone-less existence is that the young people who stuck to the Nokia handsets for the duration of the experiment, whilst excited about getting their phones back to the point of screaming, wanted to ‘find ways to limit their screen time’. For a sample of a generation who didn’t know the world before smartphones, this is fascinating stuff.
As well as all the opportunities for play and adventure at Camp Beaumont, there’s so much that can be done without the help of a phone. Some popular phone-free activities to break up the screen time include:
In the case of sports, play, and other activities that require movement, there are so many physical benefits for kids. They include:
We build the majority of our bone density in our childhood and teenage years, and weight bearing activities, such as running, gymnastics, climbing, and jumping, all use muscle force that strengthens the bones beneath. Therefore, physical activity away from their phones can help form a strong foundation that helps breakages occur far less easily.
Blue light emitted by screens can disrupt our sleep-wake cycle; Sleep Foundation have reported that ‘light sensitivity during adolescence greatly affects the production of sleep-inducing melatonin’. At a time when the body and brain are still developing, sleep is crucial for children, and balancing screen time with phone-free activities can really help minimise the risk of blue light disruption.
Failure to exercise can contribute to high cholesterol (along with poor diet), which ultimately lead to a high risk of heart attacks and strokes in later life. Whilst diet has a lot to with the risk factors, physical movement is an instrumental part of keeping blood pressure in check; a heart and circulatory system that’s maintained early on will help ward off heart disease later in life too.
As we alluded to earlier, obesity is a huge risk for a child’s physical and mental health; it can increase the risk of developing serious health conditions later on too. Physical phone-free activities help expend a child’s energy, complementing a balanced diet to keep their weight within a healthy range.
In the case of physical activities in particular, cognitive development can be positively impacted by phone-free activities; exercise has been found to boost the production of cells in the hippocampus, which is the part of the brain that controls memory and learning. This is all good news when it comes to making sense of the world, and learning the crucial skills a child needs to move through it; not to mention the information they need to retain at school.
Instead of seeking external validation from others online, whether that be their peers on messaging apps, or on social media, kids learn to trust themselves, and realise what they’re capable of through phone-free activities. Particularly in the case of sport and movement, they find the limitations of their own bodies, test them, and become proud of what they’re able to achieve.
A study conducted by Maes et al, published in 2021, into the benefit of woodland and other natural environments for adolescents’ cognition and mental health found that ‘children with ready access to natural spaces often exhibit reduced stress levels. Some studies even posit that the effect of nature on children’s mental health may be as considerable as the influences of family background and the age of parents’. We find this incredibly powerful; phone-free time in nature can increase a child’s mental wellbeing, making their childhood a happier, more carefree one, despite the pressures of the online world.
Exercise is also a major player in the improvement of children’s mental health. Exercise and physical activity releases endorphins, which are ‘feel-good’ chemicals, into our brains. These have a positive impact on dopamine and serotonin, which in turn improves depression and anxiety.
To find out more about our upcoming summer camps programme, visit our activity page here, where you’ll find all the details of how we tailor our camps to the age and development stage of your child.
My little one had a great time at Camp Beaumont! When your 5 year old doesn't even look back when you wave them off in the morning - you know they're doing something great.
