The digital dilemma: Why a blanket ban on smartphones is not a solution to screen addiction

When should you get your child a smartphone? And is getting them a smartphone a smart move at all? These questions are keeping parents up at night. Debates are raging across the world about whether or not children should be given a device. Campaigns like ‘Smartphone free childhood’ in the UK and ‘Wait until 8th’ in the US involving parents, have gained massive popularity with parents and children voicing support for phone bans in schools.

School bans are the most common form of legislation but they vary. Some are nationwide bans, while others mandate schools to set their own bans. UNESCO reported in late 2025 that 40% of countries have already implemented or are planning to ban mobile phones in schools.

Smartphone bans in schools

Global education systems are moving towards ‘phone-free environments’. This is linked to a growing concern about social media and online harms. Some countries have already implemented or are considering some form of restrictions.

India is aiming for a ‘balanced’ digital policy with the Delhi High Court having rejected the idea of a blanket ban on smartphones in schools in 2025. It labeled such a move as impractical. Schools have been advised to create, with inputs of parents and teachers, policies that include secure storage and prohibition of use in classroom environments. The court asked for regulated and monitored use.

However, controlled access is easier said than done. Even if schools impose regulations, what happens at home is harder to regulate. Children start demanding smartphones at an early age and parents give in under pressure. Sometimes parents feel the need to stay connected with children when they are out at tuition centres or with their friends, and the smartphone seems almost like a necessity.

Teesha Kochhar, a working professional and mother of a 17-year-old daughter, says a phone is needed to ensure the child’s safety by staying connected but not necessarily a smartphone. “Stricter surveillance is needed by school authorities on children’s use of phones. Even if they are accessing YouTube for school projects, stricter monitoring is required,” she adds.

Anjana Anand, a Senior Career Guidance and College Counsellor at Pathways School, Gurugram, feels children should not be allowed to use smartphones before the age of 16. “Phones can be addictive. Most schools do not allow the use of smartphones. Even as a parent, I think encouraging responsible usage is important,” she says.

How harmful is the use of smartphones by children? A recent study published in the journal of Human Development and Capabilities, conducted across 2 million people in 163 countries, found that using smartphones before the age of 13 could severely impact the mental health.

Smartphone use was linked to suicidal thoughts, poor emotional regulation, lower self-worth and detachment from reality, especially among girls. It also led to sleep disruptions, cyberbullying and weak family relationships.

Delhi-based clinical psychologist Dr Mohit Gothwal says excessive use of smartphones can lead to body image issues, sleep problems, mood issues and even makes them less empathetic as individuals due to a lack of social skills.

Parental controls

For children under the age of 13, companies like Apple and Google allow you to create child accounts linked to the parent’s account so that they can manage the usage. Various parental controls can be applied on an Android phone or an iPhone at the time of setting it up. Controls can also be applied in other ways. Setting screen-time limits, blocking apps, limiting content, tracking location are all ways to monitor the child’s activities on the device.

But many parents who are not tech-savvy find it hard to set these controls on the device in the first place. A study conducted in the US by the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) found that not many parents fully utilise these controls for the same reason and sometimes have to solicit help from the children to set them up.

Is there a solution at all?

According to Dr Mohit Gothwal, the solution is not to restrict children from using smartphones as children use them for school projects and research. He insists on inculcating healthy habits. “It’s important to improve communication between children and parents. They need to discuss and arrive at a middle ground about smartphone usage. Healthy habits like setting time limits for usage and encouraging children to have healthy offline interactions is the need of the hour,” he says.

Direct communication between parents and children can only smoothen the process of giving controlled access. Some parents have also decided to give ‘dumb’ phones to children to let them make calls and send messages but keep them safe from the perils of the internet.

It’s safe to say that a complete ban on smartphones for children is impractical and avoidable. What is needed is a delay in allowing smartphone ownership, setting clear rules and boundaries regarding usage, promoting interesting offline activities and educating children about online safety. Educators and parents have a bigger role to play than legislation or digital controls.