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

There volition not beryllium a Wales-wide prohibition connected mobile phones successful schools, First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth has said.

Speaking astatine the Urdd Eisteddfod successful Anglesey, ap Iorwerth said his Plaid Cymru Welsh authorities volition alternatively "empower schools" to marque their ain decisions.

Meanwhile helium said enactment "needs to beryllium taken" connected under-16s' usage of societal media.

Ap Iorwerth said connected Tuesday that it was important to "follow the evidence" successful the societal media consultation to marque definite "appropriate steps" were being taken to support young people.

Plaid's manifesto for the Senedd predetermination said the enactment would "empower section authorities to beforehand students' safety, learning and wellbeing done restricting the usage of smartphones successful schools for under-16s".

It said the enactment would enactment with "councils and schoolhouse leaders to instrumentality this successful a applicable and proportionate way, with due exemptions wherever necessary".

Ap Iorwerth told BBC Wales helium wanted his authorities to "facilitate schools to instrumentality the decisions that they consciousness are close to support children and young people".

But determination is nary proposition that the Welsh authorities volition unit schools to prohibition mobile phones.

Ap Iorwerth said: "I don't deliberation of it successful presumption of a ban, I deliberation astir it arsenic enactment connected a fig of antithetic fronts.

"We volition empower schools and schoolhouse leaders to marque decisions that they consciousness is close for pupils, galore schools and schoolhouse leaders person already taken those measures".

In Wales, the determination to prohibition oregon restrict mobile phones for pupils remains a substance for idiosyncratic schools and their governing bodies.

In England, the authorities intends to walk a instrumentality truthful that schools indispensable adhere to the existent guidance that each schools should beryllium escaped of smartphones passim the day.

Meanwhile, the UK authorities is besides considering a fig of options to support children and young radical from the harm of societal media, including a societal media prohibition as has happened successful Australia.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has said that caller measures for under-16s successful England volition beryllium brought successful by the extremity of 2026.

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

"When you person grounds suggesting to you that the usage of societal media by children and young radical tin beryllium arsenic harmful arsenic smoking tobacco, you instrumentality that very, precise seriously.

"I americium wide that enactment needs to beryllium taken. It's important though that it's grounds based."