All language subtitles for Swiped.The.School.That.Banned.Smartphones.S01E02.720p.ALL4.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-RAWR_track3_[eng]

This programme contains scenes that
some viewers may find upsetting

So, us and the kids at the school,

it's only been a week without
our phones,

but I'm already very, very aware of
how addicted I am to it,

and that's what I see with my kids,
as well. We were like,

"Right, at eight o'clock I want all
your phones in the kitchen charging,

"nothing upstairs."
SHE LAUGHS

They were like, "What? Why did
our parents sign up for this?"

SHE LAUGHS

Emma and I are taking part in
a total smartphone ban experiment.

I'm literally like, "Have it."

We've locked up our devices
for 21 days...

Love you.

..and asked a group of 12-year-olds
to do the same.

How are you feeling, Miles? Fine.

Yeah? Yeah? Cos I get five quid
a day, so...

THEY LAUGH
Oh, do you really?

Eyes closed.

The impact this has on our mental
and physical health

is being monitored throughout.

Nothing can go wrong, right?
Like, I can't get electrocuted?

SHE CHUCKLES
No.No, no, no.

We've heard some of the devastating
consequences of early phone use...

I don't think social media is
a safe place.

I used to have, like, three panic
attacks a day,

and, like, I would go on my phone,

and that probably didn't help.

I ended up talking to somebody not
so nice

who definitely wasn't who they said
they were.

..we've learnt alarming facts from
experts.

So, we know that one in ten
nine-year-olds

have already seen pornography.

SHE GASPS
Oh, my God.

And witnessed first hand the
distressing content

our kids can access on their phones.

Oh, my God.

There's not a chance are they
having it.

I feel like we've blindly been
letting our kids on their phones.

We need to be more aware,

but other people
need to take responsibility

for what they're creating,

for what they're allowing on
their apps.

Will locking away their devices make
our kids happier,

healthier, and more ready to learn...

Oh, my God. I've just put my life
in there. It's completely gone.

..and prove that smartphones should
be banned

until our children are at least 14?

Wow, it's already Day Seven.

I had a funny dream last night, and
I had my phone in there.

At the Stanway School in Essex,

the phone ban has been in place
for a week.

This experiment is important for
schools everywhere,

because we're at the front line of
the issues

of young people with mobile phones.

We are seeing more and more students
with mental health issues,

more students with sleep
deprivation,

and these are all issues that we're
trying to deal with.

The students haven't found parting
with their devices easy.

Uh, no. Obviously, uh, it's weird.

You're in the no-phone universe -
what could happen?

Poor phone.

We could literally, like, cancel
this any time

if it seriously doesn't work out.

Is that...? That's possible, right?

My phone!

Oh, come back to me.No!
HE CHUCKLES

Oh, my God. Like, this morning,

Jacob was doing something really
dumb,

so I was going to take a video of
him, and then I go,

"where's my phone to take a vid?"

And I realised.

It would be so weird, not having
a phone till you're, like, 18.

My dad got his first phone at 18.
And like, that's kind of crazy.

There are these tribes out there,

like indigenous people, who live
without phones.

The, the... How did we get onto
tribes?

Now it's sort of setting in,

I'm 100% sure I'm going to come
out of it better in the long run,

but I think I might get to the
point

where I'm absolutely just bored.

I think it's pretty obvious that I
was way more worried than Emma

when we first started this.

I was thinking I was going to find it
really horrible and really difficult,

and I hated it, "I'm really attached
to my phone, blah-blah-blah."

But I feel quite all right,

and I've really enjoyed being
present.

It's just typical, isn't it,

that Matt has been like a duck
to water with it,

and I was super excited,

and the minute I didn't have it,
I was filled with anxiety.

SHE LAUGHS
I felt like I couldn't cope.

These school kids

are going to be missing their
interactions with their friends,

I bet they're going to be dying
to get back on their phone.

You know, so are we going to make any
lasting change with these kids?

Goodbye!

I don't know.

SCHOOL BELL RINGS

So, good morning, in we come.

Morning, morning, morning.

Morning, Maddie.

Morning, Harry.

Morning, Sam.

Over 90% of 11-year-olds own
a smartphone,

and, incredibly, half of our
nation's nine-year-olds do, too.

I think there's no question at all.

We're giving children smartphones
far too young.

As a doctor, I have seen time
and time again

teenagers and adolescents have
their mental health problems

get significantly better when they
cut out the smartphones.

To give us a deeper understanding of
the effects of smartphone use,

the University of York are analysing
the children's sleep,

wellbeing and health data,

and carrying out an anonymous
school-wide survey on phone use.

It is our responsibility, like, as
research scientists,

to really get a handle on the
psychological costs

and the benefits of smartphone use.

And to know what the appropriate
legislation and safeguarding

needs to be put in place in order
to protect our young people.

We're now over a third of the way
through the experiment.

Day Eight.

I think we're doing rather well.

Yesterday, I actually played
Lego Mario with Isaac.

# Happy birthday, dear Scarlett,
happy birthday to you. #

Why is it a phone?
THEY LAUGH

Smartphones are one of the world's
best distraction devices.

So children are growing up now never
needing to be bored.

I usually go out, but it's a bit
hard to plan something

because I can't message anyone.
Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, I don't want to knock on
someone's door saying if...

Whether they're in or out.

I just want to text them on my
phone. That would be so weird!

There is a desire to change their
relationship with these devices,

so we need to help them.

You know what you want to do
after school.

Like, when I get home I'm like,

"Call my mates, see who's online,
get some food", that's my day.

But now, without a phone,

I'm just missing out on all the fun
that they could be having,

which kind of makes me jealous.

Miles has struggled through
the first week of the phone ban.

If my parents weren't here,

and I could get my phone back, I
would stop doing it. They're like,

"Oh, it's good for you, or it's
going to be better for you."

Phones cause a lot of problems
for schools,

but a lot of our pastoral issues
that we deal with

have actually started outside
of the school -

that's access to material they
shouldn't have,

whether it's just addiction to
the phone, and lack of sleep...

So, in essence, we're breeding
and growing

a society of children who are not
used to being able to manage that.

Oh, my lord.

I can't be bothered.

At school, in the day, I have
stuff to do,

but when you get home, like,

it's your choice what to do,
that's what's kind of harder.

So, Miles, tell me, how are you
feeling?

I'm just bored. Absolutely nothing
to do.

You can help make dinner.

Yeah, but I just don't want to do...

Yeah, well, it's Friday tomorrow.

Yeah, and then I'll have
to do nothing all weekend!

Miles, you can do this.

Be strong. No...

But what is there to do all weekend?

Smartphone usage is clearly
ingrained

in the lives of our 12-year-olds...

..but recent studies show that a
fifth of three and four-year-olds

have their own device, too.

Dr Nichani is a consultant
paediatrician

who has been actively researching
screen use in the under-fives.

What I'm seeing at the coalface in
my clinics

is the advent of

nonverbal children,

so, in other words, two or
three-year-old toddlers

who walk in, normal mobility,
normal coordination... Mmm.

..and they don't say a word. Right.
They have this glazed look,

they don't look at you,

they're looking at inanimate objects
in the room.

And, for a lot of these children,
I've discovered that they are

spending most of their waking hours
on a screen, in front of a screen.

Primary school teachers tell me
children are coming with

developmental language difficulties,

behavioural problems, temper
tantrums,

and nursery workers are now saying

that they're having tantrums when
they're dropped off

because their screens are
taken away,

rather than because the parents are
leaving.

For zero to two, the only screen use
should be video chat.

Between two and five, the maximum
time for giving a device

should be no longer than 30 minutes
during the day.

Right, OK. But it's not calling
parents lazy... Mm.

..it's become, just daily,
to just...

"Have this while I do this."

The only way to develop language is
by talking to your child,

by interacting with your child.

Do you see this as a growing issue?

I'm very frightened by the gravity

and the severity of this issue

and what it's doing to our society,
to our children. Mm.

Brain scans on heavy phone-using
young children have also shown

structural changes in areas that
lead to impulsivity,

inattention, and behavioural
difficulties.

These are the same areas of
the brain

that are affected in children with
ADHD.

Due to his research, Dr Nichani
believes phones should be banned

for children until they are even
older than 14.

So, the government, in my opinion
should ban a smartphone

for children under 16, and there
needs to be decisive action -

a total ban, not just guidelines -

because I'm really concerned that...

..human beings...

..as we know them, and starting
from early childhood,

will be changed for the worse.

I think, everywhere I look,

this is so much bigger and more than
I anticipated.

You know, as parents we feel at
a loss.

I feel like we...this does need to be
bigger than us.

It does need to be bigger
than individual,

needs to be societal change.

And that's why we need
this experiment.

This programme contains
discussions of suicide and scenes
some viewers may find upsetting

CALLING: Dude on the phone!

Thank you.

It's the second week of the
smartphone ban...

I'm missing my phone the most.

I miss it way more than Isaac.

..and nearly halfway through the
experiment

for this class of year eights.

How are you? It's my birthday
tomorrow. Tomorrow?

Yeah. Happy birthday tomorrow.
Thank you, sir. How old?

Oh, 13. Oh, the big 13.

The age group that we're doing
the experiment with

is a very impressionable age group.

When you're 12, 13 years old, there
are so many influences.

Social media can create norms that
are not realistic.

Explicit images...

The average age children first see
pornography is 13,

with 10% having viewed it by the age
of nine.

Young people's understanding of
what a relationship is

is now being dramatically
influenced by online pornography.

Smartphones are bringing a whole
new world of dangers

to our children, and that's quite
frightening, actually.

64% of young people have seen
porn online.

Using blank phones given to us by
the production team,

Matt and I want to see for
ourselves just how easy it is

for children to access.

"This website contains age-restricted
materials including nudity

"and explicit depictions of sexual
activity."

And there's two to click -

"I am 18 or older, enter",

or "I am under 18, exit." Is that it?

So then, we click on that, "I am 18
or older," and we're in.

So that's all you have to press.

OK, first up is an image of a girl
getting choked in the back of a car.

Next one, it's "bookworm",

"Little Stepsister Tries Sex."

And there's lots of, like, one woman
and loads of men. Yeah.

It looks like YouTube. Yeah.

And it wouldn't feel like you've
stumbled upon something

you shouldn't be watching... No.
..because...

It kind of feels familiar.
..it's so similar.

So, this is a video, "A Cuffed Sex
Slave Gets Dominated."

SHE GASPS
Oh...Oh, my God.

Oh, my God. No...

No, no, no, no, no.

Oh, please turn that off.

Yeah. See, that's horrific. I mean,
the, uh...

That... That's like the movie
Seven. Yeah.

That is absolutely horrific.

It makes me want to vomit. It's
horrendous.

So, anybody...

..of any age can view this,

as long as you just say that you're
over 18.

You say you're over 18, and there
you are.

You could be an 11, 12, 13-year-old
kid,

and you don't know what sex is,
and this is the first thing you see.

This is what you think is...normal.

Yeah. I can't think of a more
damaging thing...

..than your first image of sex being
this.

I think it's hard to see what we've
seen on porn sites,

and not be worried about your kids
seeing any of that.

As much as we think we know what's
going on,

we really haven't got a clue.

And we, as parents,

have not been across what our kids
are doing and restrictions...

..as much as we should've been.

Doing this, I've actually felt
really guilty about how...

..how little input and knowledge
I've had on it

for this amount of time.

Come in. Hi.

Hello.

Miles has struggled to adjust
to life without his smartphone,

something he's come to discuss
with Dr Chatterjee.

We're almost halfway through this
whole experiment,

how are things going? When I got
home from school,

I just felt a bit queasy, and I was
like, "Ugh."

It gave me, like, a weird feeling in
my stomach.

That sounds a little bit as though
you were having feelings of anxiety.

Have you had that before? Never.

I only got it since the challenge
started.

Something that a lot of people don't
realise is that,

yeah, you can have anxious
thoughts,

but you can also feel it in
your body.

So, I think this queasiness and
this sensation in your stomach

was actually your body having that
kind of reaction.

Yeah.

I love using my phone,

but I've learnt, like, I use it
more than I thought.

I like...I use it a lot,

and I didn't know how much it would
affect me when it got taken away.

Day 11. Halfway!

Whilst a smartphone-free existence
has its challenges,

many of the kids are now starting
to feel the benefits.

I'm a lot more active than usual.

We've been playing, like, board
games, going out for a bit,

and just having fun.

Because of the addictive nature
of these devices,

a lot of childhoods these days
are not based around play,

certainly not play with other human
beings.

We need to practise interacting
with other people.

I've quite enjoyed not having
a phone,

and I've really enjoyed, like,
being more sociable.

These devices are basically tools
to not be present.

Hmm...

Everything good in life comes from
an ability to be present.

We're just over halfway!

When I'm coming home, I'm sort of
spending more family time.

When I look at a phone, it seems a
bit weird, really,

cos I haven't really had one for
a while.

How's it going? Bit worn out.

THEY LAUGH

Yeah, it's been hard work.

I think we underestimated

just how much we'd have to step up
as parents.

Miles was fidgety.

It was like you could see... Yeah.

..his frustration, and he just
didn't know what to do

with himself... Yeah. ..and that was
quite hard for us to watch.

Proper withdrawal symptoms, right?

He did. He went through cold turkey,
I think.

SHE LAUGHS
Yeah, he had, like, real anxiety,

butterflies. He is used to having
had that. Yeah. Yeah. So... Yeah.

..to suddenly remove all of it at
the same time... Yeah. ..must be...

And as parents, we gave him a phone
for his birthday.

We think we're giving him
a wonderful present... Yeah.

..when actually, are we?

It's made me feel that it's not in
their best interests

to just hand them this expensive...
It's like it's access all areas,

isn't it? ..piece of kit, yeah.
Yeah.

It's crazy when you think about it.
Yeah.

Right, what cars are we having?
Uh, Del Boy's van and DeLorean.

BOTH: Go!

I think Harry's coping quite well,
actually.

It's been nice, cos we're sort of
doing other things

that we don't normally do.

HE LAUGHS
It actually sort of feels like

you got a bit more of Harry back.

Next Tuesday, my phone will be back
in my hands.

Are we going to lose you again?

Probably for a little while.

Oh...

Now, I'm thinking,

I don't really want Harry having his
phone back.

And it's sort of...

It's causing me a bit of a dilemma.

Me and Nanna are very proud of you,

cos what you've done is a very
important thing. Yeah?

For Matt and I, this experiment has
already been eye-opening.

We're shocked by some of the
disturbing content

we've seen on social media

and how much time kids, including
our own, spend on it.

I think us not having our phones

and being able to observe our kids'
behaviour with devices...

We've had lots of time to observe.

We've had so much time
to observe and watch them.

Just looking at how much time

they spend on each app... Mm.

..was like, "whoa."

This could be ten hours a week

that someone's on this, one of our
kids is on this.

You know, what are they going to see
in that time?

Cos they're going to see what I've
seen. Mm.

You know, and they're going to be
affected by it. Yeah.

And this evening,

we've travelled to meet Mark and
Lisa,

a couple whose family have been
devastated

by a social media challenge
gone wrong.

Hello! Hi. Hi.

Matt, nice to meet you. Hiya, Matt.
Hello, Emma. Hi, Emma.

Nice to meet you. Please come in.

Thank you. Ah, thanks.

What was Isaac like?

He was a...

He was a smart kid, he was
intelligent. Yeah.

Yeah, he was very, very smart.
Yeah. He used to come in to us,

early hours in the morning,
with, like, "fact of the day".

Yeah.
THEY CHUCKLE

He used to like, you know, playing
football in the garden with us.

Yeah. Always trampolining.

Trampolining, and he loved rugby,
as well, at school. Yeah.

Yeah, what can you say? He was just
a normal kid.

LAUGHTER AND EXCLAMATIONS ON FOOTAGE

How old was he when he first got
a phone?

Er, 11? Ours were 11, as well, when
they went to secondary school.

We did the same thing. Yeah. We
were like,

"When you go to secondary school."

Yeah. Yeah. "If ever you need us,
keep you safe." Yeah. Yeah.

He kept asking us for TikTok,
because his sister's two years older

than him... Yeah. ..so she already
had it. It was all very innocent.

We... We used to check the phone.

The schools gave them lots of
education about, you know,

"Beware of these weird people
online" and all that.

Yeah. And he knew all about that.

You think you can do all the right
things... Yeah.

..and we thought we WERE doing all
the right things.

Yeah.

So, what exactly was the challenge
that Isaac was doing?

It was the "blackout challenge".
Right.

It was something where you restrict
the airway, and then you pass out.

Right.

Would you mind telling us about what
happened that day?

Typical day.

Both of them come running out of
school.

Got home.

Isaac went upstairs,

so I started doing dinner. And then
it's around about...

..half-past five-ish, something
like that, I called up the stairs,

and he would normally come bounding
down the stairs for food.

I noticed that the bathroom door
was closed.

So I knocked on the door, and
there's no answer.

Panic set in.

I ran downstairs.

I got a hammer, and I hammered the
door.

And that's where I found Isaac.

That's where my world fell apart.

Isaac was just laid out -

tubes in him, and ventilator, and
all that.

Yeah, they couldn't save him.

I went outside, and there's
a chapel,

and I just sat down outside for
ages, just crying

and thinking, "God, please, God",
you know.

The shock of losing your child is
just...it's indescribable, you know.

Yeah. I'm still dealing with it,
you can probably tell.

I can only imagine, yeah. Ah, it's
horrendous, mate. Yeah.

Honestly, it's so bad.

When police looked at Isaac's phone,

they found two previous attempts at
the blackout challenge.

And they said, "Will you be OK to
watch it, play it?" The thing is...

It's really hard... Yeah. ..to watch
him on the screen. Yeah.

Once he did it, and he came round,
he was laughing,

so then the anger kicks in,
thinking,

"How can you be so stupid?"

But obviously, they don't see the
dangers.

It went down with the inquest as
misadventure.

He didn't mean to kill himself.
Yeah.

Lisa and Mark believe Isaac may
have seen the challenge on TikTok,

but the police were unable to
ascertain

what videos had been viewed,
and the coroner ruled that

Isaac's death was
a result of misadventure.

When you're a parent,
you love your kids

and you want the best for them,

you know,
and you try everything you can,

and yet in their pocket is this
other world. Mmm.

What, did we do something? Like,
did we? Oh, mate.

You do, yeah,
you do question yourself as,

as the parent, have you,
have you failed?

Yeah. Have you failed
the safety of your child?

You go through everything. It's...
I wouldn't wish it on my enemy.

All the rules you have are what
we have. Yeah.

That... I think that's why I've been
so quiet, actually, is that...

Yeah, we were,
we're just a normal family.

What would you like to happen,
like, when it comes to these apps?

Definitely the algorithms

need to be put under control,
definitely.

There's nothing there that can stop
anyone going on and doing it.

It needs to be parents, schools,
the platforms and the Government.

They all need to be in line,
and they all need to realise

that we need to work together to
protect the children.

Yeah.

It's not going to be a simple task,

but unless we do it, there's going
to be more dead children.

Yeah. Absolutely.

You can't imagine what that's like,
you know.

And...

And then having to deal
with it forever.

Well, living with it, yeah.

Yeah. When they were saying,
you know,

how they kept thinking, "what did
we do wrong?"

You know, "how did we fail?"
and you know,

and it's... You just want to go,
"you didn't."

You know, you didn't.

There is somebody somewhere that can
change that.

So that no other parents have
to lose kids.

So that no other kids have their
life cut short.

It's just not right.

You all right, baby? Yeah. You sure?

We're in the final week of
the experiment.

You do want coffee, babe, yeah?

Yes, please.

And at the Stanway School in Essex,
it's lunchtime.

Look, everyone's started coming
in now.

Yeah. They're going to be shocked by
the lunch queue.

Snapchat or TikTok,

because I reckon all my texts
will be on there.

Do you feel like you concentrate
better? Do you not?

My sleep's better.
I think I'm more sociable,

concentrate better and sleep better.

Like, in lessons,

I don't know why, but I'm more
focused.

At the start of the phone ban,
Scarlett was one of

the highest users of her smartphone.

I used to have like three panic
attacks a day,

and then my anxiety just
sometimes happens.

I would go on my phone

and that probably didn't help
as much.

Imagine a whole month without
your phone.

I wouldn't do it. Guys, it's my baby.

That's sad, Liana. It's like a baby.

No, that is sad. I like my phone,
but I'm not obsessed with it.

I have felt less anxious without
my phone.

I haven't had any anxiety or
panic attacks.

I think it's gone really well not
having a phone.

Hi. Hello.

How have you been getting on?
Really well.

And how are the kids getting on?

I don't think any kids have
given up. Yeah.

I'm taking Instagram off my phone.
Are you?

And I'm going to put it on my iPad,
which I don't take out.

I'm not wasting my...any free time
with scrolling

and looking at other people's lives
that don't benefit me.

That was almost inspirational.

SHE SHRIEKS
HE LAUGHS

What do you mean, almost?

BELL RINGS

School is done for another week...

..which three weeks ago would've
meant extra screen time.

I'm so hungry.

But now for Jess,

Theo and Isaac it means more
face-to-face time.

Oh, look at that guy.
Look, he's surfing with a...

How do people do that?

Uh, what's it called? Practice.

Are you excited
to get your phone back?

Oh. Um, a bit.

There are things I've missed
about it. Mmm.

But, I don't know.

I feel like in the past week I
actually haven't really...

Hasn't crossed my mind.
I don't know if that's just

because, like, I've been filling it
up with, like, doing other things.

But I definitely think I'm going to
delete, like, TikTok

and... Really? Yeah.

I usually get quite worried before
I go to bed. Yeah.

And I'm still suffering
with that but, it's like...

Yeah. ..I suppose it's kind of
helped.

I definitely feel happier without
my smartphone.

I just feel like it's sort
of made more time

for things that I actually
want to do.

Go!

But to get rid of my smartphone
completely... I don't know.

It's a new school week

and tomorrow is the last day of
the experiment.

So the University of York are back,
retesting

the children for any cognitive or
health changes.

Ready to reveal the findings as
the phones are returned.

But the teachers at
the Stanway School don't

need to wait until
the results are in.

One thing that I noticed early into
the experiment,

was that, as the students were
coming in,

the students who didn't have their
phones, seem readier to learn.

They were alert.
They had already spent five,

ten minutes before form time talking
to their friends.

They hadn't spent that time on
a phone.

On the gate, in particular,
more sprightly.

The eye contact. Yeah.

When you stop in the corridor,
when you're speaking to them,

when you're checking up on them,

their eye contact skills in just
a couple of weeks

seem better than they used to be.

Scarlett, her confidence seemed low
and her anxiety seemed high.

Now she seems like a different
student. Yeah.

It's not even on 90, love.
Look, the 90's over here.

She's so confident.
She comes up to me and has a chat.

She seems to be going into
lessons fine,

chatting away to friends,

and that seems to be a really
remarkable change. Yeah.

Ryley is a completely
different student,

and I think we've seen that

a bit in the corridors. I mean, you,
you're...

I was going to say, I mean,
I taught him last year,

and the last three weeks he's been
so much calmer.

Mmm. He really has.

Miles has been struggling. Mmm.
Yeah.

And he's found it hard,

but every day goes past he's
developed that resilience

and he isn't giving in.

No. And we're nearly done. Yeah.

And to see that transformation is,
it's wonderful. Mm. Really is.

Guys! I'm back!

Whilst benefits of a smartphone-free
life are clear for the kids...

JJ!

..this whole process has been
a revelation for me and Matt.

Over the last three weeks we've
learnt a lot

and we've seen a lot.

After meeting Mark and Lisa
and Jenna,

we got home and I was like,

"Right, restrictions on
literally everything."

I've not been able to stop thinking
about it.

Like, it's not... I don't think
there's a day gone by

that I haven't thought
about them since.

It was a complete waste of life that
will happen again.

So however good your kids are,

however much you trust them,

you can't trust what they're being
shown and that is a reality.

We keep thinking
of these tragic stories,

terrifying statistics

and real lack of meaningful
age verification.

With brick phones as
an alternative option

we're asking ourselves,

why isn't there a smartphone ban
for children until at least 14?

And today we have access to

the one place that could make
that happen.

I call the minister Peter Kyle.

We are meeting Peter Kyle.

I want to see a future where
technology enriches

the life of every single citizen.

He is at the heart of government

and it's his job
to keep us all safe online...

..but so far he's resisted calls
for a smartphone ban.

I think I was quite naive going
into this,

and I think what we've seen
and learnt

over the last few weeks has really
kind of knocked me for six.

How explicit some of the content is.

How easy it is to access it.

Everywhere we look seems
to point towards...

..surely these phones shouldn't be
in young people's hands.

So why isn't there a ban on them?

We have this world where social
media it just sort

of evolved from within society,

then we have to find ways
to make it safe.

Now we're not there yet.

We're taking steps towards
getting there.

Now, what I'm not doing is saying
that it's going to be a panacea,

and that all things are going to be
perfect to start with.

It does feel like we have
to do it really quickly,

because in the time that
we're trying to figure it out...

..devastatingly, young people are
dying still.

And I know you know that
because I know that you meet

the parents of children who have
passed away.

Yeah. No, I do.

You cannot meet those families
without being absolutely shaken to

the core for what's happened to them

and what's happening in general.

You know, we have to move forward.

Also, I've inherited
a legislative...

..a programme of law making which
hasn't fully run its course yet.

A lot of them coming in next year,

but I've tried really hard to be
creative

to use the powers that I do have
to start this chain in motion.

I don't envy you. Making
an addictive substance,

giving them a little bit
of it doesn't seem to work.

You know, like moderation is a very
hard thing to...

Mm-hm. ..to navigate.

If we take solid steps forward
and we keep that energy

and momentum going forward,
we can make changes,

not just in this area,
but in lots of different areas.

But I think the Online Safety Bill

and the online safety environment
that we're going to have,

particularly from next year,

we will have probably
the most stringent rules,

regulations and sets of protections
of any country.

By next summer, every company that's
selling porn or has

a platform which provides porn,

will have to do meaningful age
verification.

Why can't we move quicker?

Because at the pace we're going,

we're so far behind technology
anyway,

that we're never going to catch up.

When it comes to actually stopping
kids have handsets in

the first place, as I said,
I'm really open-minded to it.

I just need to see that it's
the right tool,

in the right circumstance.
Now, personally right now,

I don't think that
that's the right way forward.

But, as I said... Why don't you
think it's the right way forward?

Because it's very hard
to outlaw people of

a certain age having a handset.

So if we pass a law
and parents do feel the pressure

just to go and buy them for one
kid,

and one kid goes to class, then
the law becomes meaningless.

Yeah. And I really don't want to pass
a law where one of

the first examples that young people
experience is breaking a law.

So getting this balance right
is really difficult.

He said that he wasn't closed off to
the possibility of a smartphone ban.

Yeah. He said he was open-minded to
that,

which I think was
a massive thing for him to say.

Yeah. It would definitely take
more than him,

but that is I think where
a collective needs to come in.

Yeah. Because we can't wait really
for their timelines,

because damage is being done now.

People are being hurt now.
And they need to play their part.

Well, I just don't believe it.

21. We're going to get my phone
back.

So today is the final day of
the experiment,

and I have to admit I'm very
excited to get my phone back.

Really excited, but I feel like I
could go longer

without my phone. I don't mind if
I didn't get it back today.

Got to go quickly. I want to get to
school and get my phone back.

Bye, Harry. Bye, Mum. Bye.
Bye. Bye.

Bye, have a nice... Ooh,
not even a kiss.

Bye. See you later.

Here we are,
the final journey back to school.

I'm really looking forward to it.
Yeah?

Yeah. Quite excited about today.

And not, like, getting my phone
back.

Yeah. I'm looking forward
to seeing the kids.

BELL RINGS

We constantly have issues with
students that are up late at night

on a smartphone, so their sleeping
pattern's get affected.

Their relationships,
their mental health.

This experiment,

it's a chance to have genuine
research into

an area that doesn't seem
to have it at the moment.

Hi. Hi, everyone. How's it going?

You good? STUDENTS: Yes.

21 days ago we were sat in this room

and we all thought it was going to
be a very long three weeks,

and suddenly here we are.

And most importantly,
none of you dropped out.

I've got to say, we're feeling pretty
great, aren't we?

We are, yeah. Yeah.

During the experiment,

the school-wide survey has explored
exactly how students at

the school normally use
their smartphones.

38% of students are using
their phones

for four or more hours per day.

17% of them are using them
for six hours or more.

30% of students use phones
after 10pm.

Wow.

We dedicate so much time
to their education,

but this device is having equal,

if not more when you add in
weekends, time in their lives.

Mm. Yeah. How are you all feeling
about these devices

coming out of the box today?

I do miss my phone a lot,

but my mum says I've been
a much better child, apparently.

Oh, really?
EMMA LAUGHS

It's nice to actually be able
to engage with Harry a bit more.

I'd come home from work

and there'd be like one-word answers
all the time.

But now, we can actually sit
and have a proper conversation.

Yeah. The amount of time we get
to spend together as

a family has increased loads,
hasn't it?

He's involved,
he's setting the table,

he's helping make the dinner.

So would you say that you feel like
you've got your kids back?

Absolutely, yeah.

Hearing so many positive stories
from the families is encouraging.

You ready to hear the results?

But what evidence has the University
of York study revealed?

You said you have slept, on average,

one hour extra per night.

Wow! And I'm convinced that one of
the ways we tackle

the mental health epidemic in this
country with children

and adolescents is
to get them sleeping better.

Yeah.

Before you started,

you guys were worried about social
connections, weren't you?

But what actually happened is that
you said

you felt more socially connected
during the ban.

And I guess that's probably due to

the increase in real-world
interactions.

Before you gave up your smartphones,

you had more symptoms linked
with anxiety and depression.

Since you gave them up your moods
have improved.

The students reported

a 17% decrease in symptoms that link
to depression

and an 18% decrease in symptoms
linked to anxiety.

I've seen individual improvements
with patients in the past,

but this experiment with
an entire class,

it definitely has surpassed what
I thought I was going to see.

The group also showed
a 3% boost in working memory,

and for this time span it's
just incredible.

And that's a short time, isn't it?
Yeah. Yeah. Pretty profound.

I think that's brilliant. Less than
three weeks. Yeah.

In terms of common principles
we can adopt,

you could have screen-free meal
times for example.

What about having no technology in
our bedroom.

I think we as parents are going to
have to help our children

reset their relationship with
technology.

Despite the clear benefits,
it's so tough to take smartphones

away from kids who already have
them.

It does feel like Government
intervention

is needed to help parents,

and let children live
smartphone free.

OK, so hands up if you think that
kids under

the age of 14 need a smartphone.

So no-one.

APPLAUSE

Right, the bit that 50% of the
room have been waiting for.

The experiment is over!

Ooh!

APPLAUSE

First up to get their phones back
are the teachers.

Alex. Alex, up you come.

Come on. Here we go. How have you
felt? I loved it.

Yeah. Yes. Thank you very much.
Thanks, Alex.

APPLAUSE

Laura. You ready? Yes. Yay!

Ta-da. There we go. Well done.
Thank you very much.

John, come on.

I think that one's mine. Any
notifications? I don't know.

Have a look. Don't need to.

Yes, John. Yes. Don't need to. Yes!
Well done! There we go. Love it.

All right, kids, are you ready?

STUDENTS: Yes.

Harry W. Yes!

Here we go. Come on, mate.

Yeah, that's it. There we go, mate.
Ah!

Thank you very much. Thanks, Harry.

My dad is really proud of me.

Giving up my phone for three weeks.

Three weeks, wow! It's such a long
time.

How are you feeling, Theo?

I think I'm going to, like, limit my
time on certain apps.

Well done, mate. Good work, Theo.

Next up, it's Jessica.

You've had a great time without it,
haven't you?

I have actually. Yeah.
It's been really nice.

I feel like I've sort of opened up

a bit more into the world around me.

Jessica, well done. Thank you.
Well done, well done.

Well done.

INTERVIEWER: Do you think that
smartphones should be banned

for children under 14 years old?

I do. I do think we should.

Isaac.

Are you looking forward
to having your phone back?

Yes, and no. I just feel like,
I don't really need it any more.

Really?

APPLAUSE

Scarlett.

I've missed it. Oh! You're like...
Ooh, eyes on the prize that is.

I'm not looking at you, Emma Willis.
I'm looking at the box.

Sorry. Yeah.
Sorry, I just wanted to see it.

Have you had benefits?

Yeah. I think that I've slept
better.

Like, my mental health's been
better.

And I've been a lot better at school
like concentrating,

and I've been kinder to my family.
Yes.

Oh, really! Wow, they're massive.
APPLAUSE

I feel like I'm not going to use it
as much.

If I started off with a brick phone,

then I wouldn't want a smartphone,

but it's cos I've had a smartphone,

and there's like,
quite a big difference.

Last, but no means least, Miles.

How you doing, man?
How you feeling? Fine.

I would probably say that we should
keep our phones now,

but in next generations to come

make it
so they can't have their phone.

How you feeling about yours?

I feel all right about it.

Yes, Matt. Yes. Yes.

Just going to put it straight in
my back pocket. Yeah.

APPLAUSE

A huge thank you to everyone,

especially the Stanway School

and all the people that took part in
this experiment.

We really, really appreciate it.

We have learnt so much about
smartphone use. So much.

And the real impacts it has on
our kids

and their development,
and their mental health.

It's been staggering.

And I think the one thing that we
really want to get

out of this experiment is that we
really hope that it will get

the ball rolling and change will
begin.

Because I think what we all want is
that for our kids

to be able to be in
the tech world from the right age,

but be absolutely safe within it.

If we can all kind
of put that pressure on,

hopefully, we can make positive
change.

APPLAUSE
Thank you all so much.

This moment is huge.

It goes so far beyond this school
and these kids.

We have allowed this technology into
every aspect of our lives.

But we've just shown
the impact of this.

So the question for all of us is,
what are we going to change?

When I think about the idea of
a smartphone ban to the age of 14,

I think that's a very wise decision.

We are exposing them to

so much stuff that they can't
process or they shouldn't be seeing,

and we are allowing that to happen.

As long as we have ultimate safety

for our children online,
that is the end goal.

It's got to be tech companies,
it's got to be Government.

Everybody needs to play their part.

Government can't turn
a blind eye to this any more.

You've got to look at it and go,
"this is a massive problem."

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