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Leave school phone bans to head teachers, children's commissioner says


Dame Rachel de Souza says most schools restrict phone use and children are racking up screen time at home.

Her comments come as the general secretary of the UK's largest teaching union said a government ban on phones would "take the pressure off schools". "Any head teacher who decides to ban mobile phones from their school has my full backing – but it should always be their choice, based on their knowledge of what's best for the children in their own classrooms, not a direction imposed nationally by the government," Dame Rachel said. However, her report also recommended the government should "conduct more research into the potential benefits of wider restrictions on children's use of phones, particularly social media".

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