Overview
- Campaign group Generation Alpha CIC lodged papers in the High Court on 10 November seeking a statutory prohibition on smartphones in schools across England.
- Seventeen-year-old Flossie McShea joined the case, saying she was shown pornography and violent videos at school, including a beheading and footage of a child shooting another.
- Mother Katie Moore became a claimant after her daughter reported explicit images in school changing rooms and exposure to porn through WhatsApp and a video chatroom accessed on school premises.
- Lawyers argue the Department for Education’s approach is unlawful and ineffective, noting most secondary schools allow phones on site and that ‘out of sight’ policies do not prevent harmful sharing.
- A government spokesperson said school leaders already have the power to ban phones, referencing existing guidance and protections under the Online Safety Act.