Govt to implement school phone ban as from January 2026

Comprehensive schoolchildren will need to lock their phones into secure pouches provided by the Gibraltar Government in a crackdown on phone usage during class time set to be implemented as from January 2026.

The Minister for Education, Dr John Cortes, confirmed this will be mandatory for all students in Bayside and Westside schools.

Dr Cortes said phones will be locked upon entrance of the schools and unlocked at the end of the school day, with teachers able to unlock phones in extenuating circumstances.

The current policy is an ‘out of sight’ approach where students can take their phones to school but are not allowed to use them without express permission from their teacher.

As from January, this new policy will go one step further and phones will be effectively banned from the comprehensive schools unless stored in a specialised secure ‘Yondr’ pouch.

The pouch prevents use of the device and the unlock system resembles a clothes tag unlock mechanism, where students would tap their pouches into the system to release.

Each child will have their own pouch which will be provided by the school.

Earlier this year, Dr Cortes told this newspaper he had visited a school in London to see the Yondr pouch policy in action.

In this school, students were randomly checked to ensure their phones were tucked away in their pouches.

Then, at the end of the school day, teachers would be at exit points and students would tap the unlock mechanism.

He confirmed that Gibraltar will be taking this same route.

At the time, he said this was a quick process that would not result in delays for students trying to leave the school building.

The new policy will affect 1,400 students and is hoped will reduce distractions, as well as prevent cyber-bullying and video recording inside the schools.

If a child forgets to unlock their phones upon exit, they would need to return to school to access their devices.

Dr Cortes said the decision follows growing awareness of the impact of smartphones on pupil behaviour and learning.

“If children have their phone in their pocket, they’re going to be distracted,” he said.

“This measure will help students focus on learning and improve the classroom environment.”

Highlighting Gibraltar’s leadership on the issue Sir Nick Gibb, former UK Minister for Schools, added: “Smartphones have no place in schools - they fragment attention, fuel anxiety, and crowd out the face-to-face interaction that both education and friendship depend on.”

“Gibraltar is taking a bold step as a first mover, setting an example for others to follow. Every child deserves an interruption-free education, and initiatives like this show it can be done.”

In the case of emergencies, the parents can call the school, rather than contact the children directly on their phones during school hours.

The Government said the move also reflects broader debates in the UK and internationally over the role of smartphones in schools.

It added that schools in England implementing similar measures have shown improvements in pupil behaviour, classroom atmosphere and teacher wellbeing.

“A UK survey conducted in February 2025 by Public First, commissioned by Yondr, found that 72% of teachers view phone use as a persistent school problem and say lesson time is regularly affected,” the Government said in a statement.

“The research also showed that 80% of parents support making schools phone-free environments.”

“Gibraltar’s pupils will join a growing number of schools internationally that use phone-free days to support better focus and a calmer classroom environment.”