Public Consultation on Measures to Support Mobile Phone-Free Schools in Northern Ireland

Overview

The Department of Education is seeking views on whether additional measures are required to support schools and EOTAS settings in creating and maintaining mobile phone-free environments during the school day.

In particular, this consultation seeks views on whether legislation should be introduced to restrict or prohibit pupil use of mobile phones and smartphones during the school day, and if so, how any such measures should operate in practice.

The consultation will help the Department to understand:

• the level of support for mobile phone-free school environments;
• whether the existing guidance set out in DE Circular 2026/16 is sufficient;
• whether strengthened guidance or legislation would be appropriate;
• how any statutory approach could be implemented fairly and practically;
• what exemptions or flexibilities may be required; 
• the potential benefits, risks and unintended consequences of any future policy change.

A copy of the full consultation document and associated documents can be accessed here 

Why your views matter

The Department is committed to ensuring that any future policy relating to mobile phones in schools is informed by the experiences and views of those who would be affected.

We want to hear from pupils, parents, carers, school staff, governors, EOTAS providers and other interested stakeholders about the opportunities and challenges associated with mobile phone use during the school day. Your views will help the Department better understand the practical implications of different policy approaches, including the potential benefits, disadvantages and unintended consequences for school communities.

The evidence gathered through this consultation will be carefully considered alongside existing research, stakeholder engagement and operational considerations before any decisions are taken on future guidance or the possible introduction of legislation.

CONSULTATION PERIOD

The consultation will run from 27 August 2026 to 19 November 2026.

The Department welcomes responses from all interested individuals and organisations. You can respond by completing this survey or by emailing your response directly to mobilephonepolicy@education-ni.gov.uk 

PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY

Responses may be published on the Department's website with names and contact details removed.

If you would prefer your response to remain unpublished, please tick the confidentiality box in the appropriate section of the survey or contact the Department at mobilephonepolicy@education-ni.gov.uk

When responding to free-text questions, please do not include personal information about yourself or others unless you have informed the Department that you wish your response to remain unpublished.

The survey complies with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The Privacy Notice for this survey explains why we collect information, how it will be used and your data protection rights.