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School principals sign letter over pupils' smartphone use

Robbie Meredith
BBC News NI education correspondent
Handout Thelma Crawford has short blonde hair and is wearing black and orange rimmed glasses.Handout
The principal of Rosetta Primary School, Thelma Crawford said children don't need smartphones at primary school age

Head teachers from 14 Belfast primary schools have called on parents to delay giving their child a smartphone.

The principals from the South Belfast Primary Partnership said they had noticed that "children are owning their own smartphone at increasingly younger ages".

They have written a joint letter to parents detailing their concerns about the increasing use of smartphones by children.

Recent research by Ofcom suggested that nearly a quarter of five-to-seven-year-olds in the UK have their own smartphone.

Children 'exposed to risks'

Getty Images Two children with their hands raised in a classroom setting. The image is from the back of their heads. One has black braids in and is wearing pink/purple framed glasses and the other has brown hair tied in a ponytail with a blue bow. Both are wearing light short sleeved shirts and dark pinafores. Getty Images
Principals from the South Belfast Primary Partnership said they had noticed that young children own smartphones

In Northern Ireland, Education Minister Paul Givan has advised schools to restrict pupils from using mobile phones during the school day.

However, there have been calls elsewhere in the UK for parents to delay giving their children smartphones until at least the age of 14.

The heads' joint letter said that "primary school-aged children should not have access to social media apps; the platforms all have age restrictions that are at least 13".

"As school leaders, we can see the positive benefits the internet brings; however, it also exposes the children to many risks," the letter said.

"Smartphone usage can be highly addictive, with lasting effects on brain development.

"It has been linked to poor mental health, depression and low self-esteem, especially in young teenagers."

The principal of Rosetta Primary School, Thelma Crawford, is one of those who has signed the letter.

Ms Crawford told BBC News NI that the internet could be a "wonderful tool" for children, but all of the principals had experienced "children who have been harmed by having access to a smartphone".

"We very much understand that parents want to keep in touch with their children," she told BBC News NI.

"But they don't need a smartphone with internet access to be able to do that.

"We're not saying that children shouldn't access the internet... but it needs to be used wisely."

'Safeguarding responsibility'

Ms Crawford said she knew it could be a difficult decision for parents about when to get their child a smartphone.

"Every parent has experienced the pester power of 'everybody else has one'," she said.

"If you choose to give your child access, of course that's your right, but then there is advice on how do you keep your child safe and make sure that they're using their smartphone appropriately."

The joint letter said that if children already had a smartphone, there should be parental controls in place.

"There are alternatives to smartphones, and there are organisations which encourage and support parents to delay giving your child a smartphone," the letter said.

"By joining together with other parents, you can resist 'pester power' until you feel your child has the maturity to access these forums designed by adults for adults.

"As the adults, we all have a safeguarding responsibility for our children," she added.

Jim Fanning Charlotte Carson has curly blonde hair tied up and wearing a blue top, she is sitting in front of a white screen.Jim Fanning
Charlotte Carson said there is a culture of parents buying children phones

Charlotte Carson has two children, one at St Michael's Primary School in Belfast and one at a post-primary school.

She is a campaigner with the smartphone-free childhood group and welcomed the letter from principals.

"What the principals are doing is recognising the real bind that parents are in," she told BBC News NI.

"They understand the risks, but they also don't want their child to be the only one without a phone."

She said there is a culture of parents rewarding children who have completed their transfer test by buying them a phone.

"We're caught in this really strange paradox of helicopter-parenting on one hand and handing them the means to view hardcore pornography and violent content in their pocket.

"The principals are acknowledging that parents are in this very difficult place."

Rosetta Primary School An image of the letter posted by schools to pupils. It reads: Dear Parents/ Carers, 22nd May 2025 At a recent meeting of the South Belfast Principals’ Group, we discussed our concerns over the increasing use of smartphones (phones with internet access) by primary school children. We understand that as children have increased independence, perhaps walking to and from school, parents want to keep in touch with their child, and to be contactable in event of an emergency. However, your child’s phone does not need to have access to the internet to be able to do this. As school leaders, we can see the positive benefits the internet brings, however it also exposes the children to many risks. Smartphone usage can be highly addictive, with lasting effects on brain development. There is research that this is also affecting children’s ability to concentrate. It has been linked to poor mental health, depression and low self-esteem, especially in young teenagers. It provides a gateway for bullying and/or grooming and exposes children to be to harmful content that is not age appropriate. If your child already has a smartphone, it is vital that you have parental controls in place and are aware of how your child is using their phone. The use of smartphones is now a feature of daily life for most adults; however we have noticed that children are owning their own smart phone at increasingly younger ages. Primary school aged children should not have access to social media apps, the platforms all have age restrictions that are at least 13. There are alternatives to smartphones, and there are organisations which encourage and support parents to delay giving your child a smart phone. What parent has not heard, ‘But everyone else has one?’ By joining together with other parents, you can resist ‘pester power’ until you feel your child has the maturity to access these forums designed by adults for adults. As the adults, we all have a safeguarding responsibility for our children.Rosetta Primary School
The letter sent to parents by the 14 schools

'Smart approach'

Paediatrician Dr Peter Cosgrove has six children, some of whom go to St Bride's Primary School in Belfast.

He is also connected to the smartphone free childhood group.

"We've made the conscious decision not to give them smartphones," he said.

"We've elected to not give them one until they're well into their mid to at least older teens."

Dr Cosgrove said that "everyone comes at it from a different perspective" but backed the joint letter from principals.

"It's a very smart and direct approach from the school leadership," he said.