Social media is ‘chipping away at consideration spans’ and ‘fuelling dangerous behaviour’
Sir Martyn Oliver used his annual report to state the influence of social media “clearly plays a part” in driving disruptive behaviour
Social media is “chipping away at attention spans” and promoting disrespectful behaviour, Ofsted’s chief inspector warned as he said schools should be a “sanctuary” for children away from their mobile phones.
Sir Martyn Oliver used his annual report to state the influence of social media “clearly plays a part” in driving disruptive behaviour through eroding children’s patience for learning. His comments come amid an increasing debate over to what extent phones should be allowed in schools.
He said: “Access to social media for young people and mobile phone use in schools have become perennial topics of discussion. It’s clear to me that schools need to help their pupils navigate the risks and pitfalls of their online lives, but there is no need to facilitate access on school grounds.
“Far better to provide children with sanctuary from their mobile devices once the school gates close.”
Speaking on Tuesday (December 2), Sir Martyn reiterated his support for banning phones in the classroom, though he said it should be up to headteachers to make the right decision for their schools, in line with Government policy. Asked if he would support an Australia-style ban on social media for under-16s, he said: “I think it is just wrong for children to access social media.
“Most of them have an age limit on them, and most of them just ignore the fact that children actually are using their services.”
Ofsted is increasingly hearing from teachers that behaviour plays a part in driving teachers out of the classroom, despite many schools having good policies for dealing with behaviour, Sir Martyn said in the report. He added that “the problem of absence remains endemic across the school system”, and too many children are spending too long out of school and falling out of step with the expectations of them at school.
The report flagged that 19% more children are missing education entirely compared with last year. “How can that be right?” Sir Martyn said.
“How can children missing entirely from education have risen by a fifth in one year? If that’s not a scandal of attendance, I don’t know what is.”
The suspension rate in schools fell slightly in autumn term 2024/25 compared with the record level of the previous year, but still remains significantly higher than pre-pandemic. Six in 10 suspensions that autumn were down to persistent disruptive behaviour.
“So why then the disruptive behaviour?” Sir Martyn said in the report. “The influence of social media, whether by chipping away at attention spans and eroding the necessary patience for learning, or by promoting disrespectful attitudes and behaviours, clearly plays a part.”
The chief inspector said he would like, under Ofsted’s new framework – which came into effect in November – to look at how attendance and behaviour policies are working for different groups of children. In November, teenager Flossie McShea and mother-of-three Katie Moore joined two fathers seeking to legally challenge government guidance on phones in schools.
Their claim for a judicial review hopes to have smartphones completely banned from schools.
In addition, Esther Ghey, mother of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey, launched a campaign this autumn for a statutory ban on phones, saying such a ban “would have really helped Brianna”. Ms Ghey has advocated for the Government to fund lockable pouches so students cannot access phones during the day.
Analysis from the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) on Monday suggested more than 800,000 UK children are already engaging with social media even before they start school.
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