United Kingdom, April 21 -- The government has declared that it will introduce a legal ban on smartphones in schools in England.

Education minister Baroness Jacqui Smith informed the House of Lords on Monday (20.04.26) that the government is to table an amendment to its Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill "creating a clear legal requirement for schools" on the matter.

The Department for Education (DfE) says that the ban would give "legal force to what schools are already doing in practice".

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson had written to schools earlier this year, urging them to follow new guidance to keep schools phone-free during learning hours.

The Labour government has said that it will put that guidance on a statutory foo...