Wales won't ban mobile phones in schools, first minister says

There will not be a Wales-wide ban on mobile phones in schools, First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth has said.

Speaking at the Urdd Eisteddfod in Anglesey, ap Iorwerth said his Plaid Cymru Welsh government will instead "empower schools" to make their own decisions.

Meanwhile he said action "needs to be taken" on under-16s' use of social media.

Ap Iorwerth said on Tuesday that it was important to "follow the evidence" in the social media consultation to make sure "appropriate steps" were being taken to protect young people.

Plaid's manifesto for the Senedd election said the party would "empower local authorities to promote students' safety, learning and wellbeing through restricting the use of smartphones in schools for under-16s".

It said the party would work with "councils and school leaders to implement this in a practical and proportionate way, with appropriate exemptions where necessary".

Ap Iorwerth told BBC Wales he wanted his government to "facilitate schools to take the decisions that they feel are right to protect children and young people".

But there is no suggestion that the Welsh government will force schools to ban mobile phones.

Ap Iorwerth said: "I don't think of it in terms of a ban, I think about it as action on a number of different fronts.

"We will empower schools and school leaders to make decisions that they feel is right for pupils, many schools and school leaders have already taken those measures".

In Wales, the decision to ban or restrict mobile phones for pupils remains a matter for individual schools and their governing bodies.

In England, the government intends to pass a law so that schools must adhere to the current guidance that all schools should be free of smartphones throughout the day.

Meanwhile, the UK government is also considering a number of options to protect children and young people from the harm of social media, including a social media ban as has happened in Australia.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has said that new measures for under-16s in England will be brought in by the end of 2026.

"The evidence is getting stronger and stronger," ap Iorwerth said, speaking from the Urdd Eisteddfod on Anglesey.

"When you have evidence suggesting to you that the use of social media by children and young people can be as harmful as smoking tobacco, you take that very, very seriously.

"I am clear that action needs to be taken. It's important though that it's evidence based."