Smartphone Project in Sheffield School

This inspiring project at Ecclesfield School in Sheffield around use of smartphones reveals in how young people interact and take time to engage in things like sport.

Earlier this year, Ecclesfield School launched a project that encouraged students to step away from their smartphones and reflect on how digital habits affect their wellbeing, learning, and relationships.

The results have been truly eye-opening – and incredibly relevant to anyone working in education, child development, wellbeing, or digital policy.

This project not only sparked powerful conversations within the school community but also raised important questions for all of us as educators, parents, and professionals:

• How do we support young people in developing healthier relationships with technology?
• What role can schools and communities play in creating balance in an always-connected world?

The success of the project comes amid mounting national concern about children’s online lives. Ofcom’s February 2024 report on online safety revealed that:

• 99% of children spend time online
• 9 in 10 children own a mobile phone by age 11
• Three-quarters of social media users aged 8–17 have an account on at least one major platform
• Six in 10 children aged 8–12 are signed up to social media despite minimum age limits
• Almost three-quarters of teens (13–17) have encountered at least one potential harm online
• Three in five secondary school children have been contacted in ways that made them feel uncomfortable
• There is an increasingly “blurred boundary between the lives children lead online and the ‘real world.’”

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