One in ten students use mobile phones to watch porn and gamble in class

 

Just under half of students said their school prohibits mobiles, in light of government plans to implement nationwide blanket ban.

12 October 2023, Nottingham, UK – A new survey of 2,000 UK secondary school students by Impero Software reveals that most have viewed prohibited online content during lessons, including shopping sites, social media, and other restricted – and harmful – websites.

More than a quarter (27%) admit to shopping during class, with 19% of those even using school-owned devices to do so. A quarter have accessed harmful or violent online content in the classroom, 13% have viewed X-rated content such as pornography, and 10% have used gambling sites. One in 12 students (8%) have even accessed the dark web during lessons.

Although usage generally increases with age, the data highlights how even the youngest pupils are accessing prohibited sites – nearly a fifth (17%) of 11-year-olds have viewed harmful/violent content in class.

Around half of pupils have used messaging apps (54%), social media sites (50%), and listened to music or watched music videos (50%) during lessons, while a third (32%) admit to online gaming – and a similar number (30%) have accessed AI sites like ChatGPT in lessons, to help with work. What’s more, 27% have successfully bypassed their school’s internet filtering system.

This comes as Education Secretary Gillian Keegan pledges to introduce a nationwide blanket ban on mobile phones in schools. The majority of students (83%) said their school already has at least one type of ban on students using personal devices, with just under half (46%) prohibiting mobile phones specifically. Yet four in ten pupils admit to sneaking a disallowed phone, tablet, laptop, or gaming device into school, with 16-year-olds most likely to have breached rules (53%).

Vic Raynor, safeguarding expert at Impero Software, emphasises the need for a balanced approach to addressing these safeguarding risks: “Schools have a duty to protect students from these very real online threats, but the debate over banning phones and tablets in schools is far from clear-cut. Our research suggests there are real safeguarding issues surrounding the use of mobile phones. But is the answer really to ban them outright? Or is the solution to embrace technology for its positives and focus on educating students on the importance of responsible use and practicing proper digital citizenship?”

Raynor further adds, “The research points to a need for ongoing conversation at every level about children’s online usage. It also highlights the importance of intelligent, considered monitoring systems, which can be tailored to meet the needs of pupils as they move through education and ensure they can access genuinely useful, age-appropriate content in class – and can do so safely.”

Impero’s research supports the notion that a blanket ban on mobile phones in schools may not fully address the safeguarding challenges, as many incidents involving mobile devices occur outside of school.

“A ban could not only limit the positive use of mobile technology for learning but also potentially expose children to other online risks. Such a ban could prompt students to use devices secretly, with students hesitant to report cyberbullying due to the fear of getting in trouble for using their phones or having them confiscated,” Raynor concludes.