A study by researchers at UWE Bristol has found that secondary pupils who say they are struggling academically are more likely to report negative experiences on their smartphones. The survey involved 3,721 pupils from six schools in and around Bristol and asked whether pupils were thriving, coasting or struggling at school. Those who described themselves as struggling were more likely to report exposure to content about eating disorders, self-harm and suicide, and upsetting messages in online chats with other pupils.

Parental input showed a mismatch with pupil experiences. The study also polled 1,595 parents; they overestimated problems such as being ignored or left out, receiving nasty messages, sleep problems or drama with friends. They tended to underestimate how often their children encountered disturbing or illegal content, suicide or self-harm material, eating-disorder content, and contact from strangers. Study co-author Dr Paul Redford said: “The overall picture is that there are much more serious negative things going on with young people and their smartphones than parents are aware of.” Dr Ben Knight, a senior lecturer at UWE Bristol, suggested the gap arises because children disclose less to parents.

Teachers’ views aligned with wider concerns. In total, 352 secondary school teachers described what they had observed; more than 70% reported seeing pupils tired because of phone use, and seven in ten said they had witnessed school conflicts that started outside school due to phones, while 65% reported witnessing bullying linked to phone use. Both teachers and parents largely favoured stricter rules on school phone use or keeping rules the same, while 58% of pupils said they would like more leniency. Pupils who reported struggling were most likely to want looser rules. The Children’s Commissioner findings earlier this year showed about 90% of secondary schools and 99.8% of primary schools already have policies to curb phone use during the school day, with around 10% of secondary schools allowing phones at some point. The government has earlier discussed possible limits on social media use for children.