Mobile phones banned in schools in England: what people are saying
According to news reports, the UK government is introducing stricter guidance to ban pupils from using mobile phones during the school day in England.
We read 163 public comments about it on YouTube; 108 of them, from 105 different people, are about this story. Below is what they say, counted.
What people are saying
Each comment is filed under the one position it takes; shares are of on-topic comments. Quotes are verbatim, most-liked first, one per person.
Concerns about emergency communication
36%39 comments
“you're actually crazy if you think I'd be sending my kid off on a train to school without their phone”
“Absolutely disgusting. So when my child walks home and anything happens. I wonder if this is for another reason. What a child puts in there bags is personal.”
“Stupid. I agree they shouldn’t go on it but in case of an emergency they should have access to communication through their own device”
Supports the mobile phone ban
30%32 comments
“👏 we grew up without them. They can too.”
“Seriously? Why does a child need a phone in school?”
“What age? I see secondary school kids walking on the pavements just looking at their phones, they dont even look up to see if its safe to keep walking. They should just completely ban it till age 16. We all survived without phones.”
Difficult to enforce and bypass
18%19 comments
“Another stupid idea that is totally unenforceable. Kids will just hand in a dummy phone and keep their real one on them. Even if you strip searched them they'd just stash it somewhere before school and pick it up later.”
“So they plan to search all children for phones? How's that going to work?”
“Yer i can imagine a teenager following the rules, are the schools going to do strip search them on the way in. Idiots,pointless and no way to execute it”
Logistical and storage issues
9%10 comments
“Great opportunity for bullies to steal phones from vulnerable children. Stop pretending that you care about children.”
“Awesome non issue! Just let them have it in their bag switched off and if they use it in class take it off them till the end of the day”
“I think the government is about to waste a bunch of money on lockers. Its such a pain to go ALLL the way to the lockers every morning and evening and every start and end of lunch break. No one will use them, they'll hide the phones instead. And there is always valid excuses to need to keep a phone with them. Simply have a policy for the teachers of: If I see it, it gets sent to reception until the end of the day.”
Prioritize improving the curriculum instead
7%8 comments
“We got real life problems going on and the government are fore fronting this as some form of priority The government are full of jokers”
“Oh I feel so much better, knowing the government are going after the big issues.”
“I am currently in Year 10 and the whole school system is very unfair to us now, just putting rules on rules get teachers and the higher up staff get away with anything! Focus on the corrupt headteachers before oppressing the kids”
Comments per day
By the date each comment was posted
Alternatives people name
Counted once per comment that names it
- nokia3 comments
What happened, according to the press
The headlines this story was detected from, linked
- “phones banned in schools” was trending on Google (GB) with 20K+ searches on 10 Nov 2026.
Questions this page answers
What happened with England?
According to news reports, the UK government is introducing stricter guidance to ban pupils from using mobile phones during the school day in England.
What are people saying about Mobile phones banned in schools in England?
Of 108 comments from 105 people on YouTube: Concerns about emergency communication (36%); Supports the mobile phone ban (30%); Difficult to enforce and bypass (18%); Logistical and storage issues (9%).
What alternatives to England do people mention?
Named in the comments, by number of comments naming each: nokia (3).
How this page is made
The story was picked up from Google's trending searches and the technology press. Public comments about it were then collected from open sources, each one filed under the single position it takes or set aside as off-topic; insults aimed at a nationality or a person are set aside and never quoted. A story only gets a page once at least 25 different people have commented on it. The counts are refreshed for two weeks after the story breaks, and the page is removed 30 days after it. Methodology →
Other stories people are reacting to
All trends →Microsoft Outlook outage
141 comments from 136 people · 27% suspects a cyber attack or hack
- Suspects a cyber attack or hack27%
- Criticizes over-reliance on cloud computing23%
- Outage affects millions globally, not thousands21%
VinFast launches new VF 6
50 comments from 38 people · 34% car prices and costs are not attractive enough
- Car prices and costs are not attractive enough34%
- New version's design and interior look better30%
- Disappointed by cut options and downgraded suspension18%
Apple shutting down Support Community forum
53 comments from 53 people · 28% forum was ineffective and lacked real solutions
- Forum was ineffective and lacked real solutions28%
- AI and modern search have replaced forums25%
- Reflects a decline in Apple's service quality19%
PlayStation Plus PC app shutting down
43 comments from 42 people · 40% evaluating the subscription value
- Evaluating the subscription value40%
- Discussing the GTA 6 footage35%
- Excited for Death Stranding 221%
GTA 6 pre-load officially opens
189 comments from 186 people · 35% excited to finally pre-load the game
- Excited to finally pre-load the game35%
- Analyzing small details in the pre-load trailer16%
- Feeling surreal that the release is finally here15%
Amazon Ring security drone and robot launch
198 comments from 191 people · 30% low practical effectiveness and durability
- Low practical effectiveness and durability30%
- Privacy and surveillance concerns27%
- Noise and impact on pets23%