School phone bans alone do not improve grades or wellbeing, says UK study

Researchers say bans need to be part of wider strategy to tackle negative impact of mobile use on children

Banning smartphones at school does not by itself improve academic grades and children's wellbeing, a study suggests.

Researchers from the University of Birmingham did find that spending longer on phones and social media in general was linked to lower grades, poor sleep, disruptive behaviour and a lack of exercise.