SARAH VINE: Why smart phones should be illegal for under-16s By Sarah Vine for the Daily Mail Published: 01:11, 20 May 2015 | Updated: 18:11, 21 May 2015 Barely a day goes by without another report pointing to how mobile phones are ruining our children’s lives. The latest comes from the London School of Economics, which has established that mobile phones have a seriously detrimental effect on the performance of children aged 14 to 16, especially those from less advantaged backgrounds. In schools where pupils are barred from using their phones during lessons, results among 16-year-olds jumped by 6.4 per cent; in the case of low-achieving and poorer pupils, the improvement doubled. So startling are these results that the LSE has recommended implementing a ban on mobile phones in all schools — it is currently at the discretion of individual headteachers. I would go much further. I want to see … Continue reading →