Givan welcomes start of phone-free school pilot

Education Minister Paul Givan has today welcomed the beginning of a new phone-free pilot scheme in schools, which will involve more than 8,000 young people across Northern Ireland.

The phone-free pilot will run in nine schools until March 2026. It will explore the potential benefits of restricting mobile phone use during the school day, with a focus on supporting student wellbeing and improving concentration in the classroom.

During a visit to St Ronan’s College, Lurgan, one of the schools taking part in the pilot programme, Paul Givan said: “Since becoming Education Minister, I’ve taken time to carefully review the evidence and listen to the concerns of parents, teachers and school leaders about mobile phone use in schools. There is growing unease about the amount of time young people spend on smartphones, and research increasingly points to a link between excessive use and declining mental health among adolescents.

“In response, I committed to piloting a phone-free solution that would prevent pupils from using their devices during the school day—helping them to fully engage with learning, social interaction, and all aspects of school life.”

The Minister continued: “Countries around the world are taking action to reduce phone use in schools. While some schools here in Northern Ireland have already introduced their own policies, I believe we need a consistent, evidence-based approach. This pilot will help us understand what works best and how we can support schools to make changes that benefit pupils—boosting wellbeing, focus and academic achievement.”

Following a procurement process, Odyssey Education was appointed in June 2025 to supply the lockable mobile phone pouches for the pilot and provide associated training, guidance and support for the school pilot project. 

Explaining how the pilot scheme will operate, Paul Givan said: “Pupils involved in the pilot scheme will place their phones in a pocket-sized fabric pouch with a magnetic latch that is sealed at the beginning of the school day and opened using a special unlocking base. This will ensure pupils cannot use their phones during the school day and will allow us to evaluate the impacts of reduced usage.

“I want to provide reassurance that flexibility will be provided for those students who need access to their smartphone during the school day, for reasons of health, disability or other needs.”

To help to understand the impact of the study, King’s College London has been appointed to carry-out an external evaluation of the phone-free pilot. The research will provide independent and objective insights into the pilot's effectiveness and outcomes, and the research findings will provide the evidence to inform future decisions.

Paul Givan concluded: “This is a pilot initiative, and every aspect of using lockable pouches during the school day will be independently evaluated by King’s College London. Their research will help us understand the real impact of reduced phone use in schools. I encourage everyone involved—students, staff, and parents—to share their experiences openly and honestly over the coming months. I look forward to the valuable insights this review will bring, which will help shape future policy decisions.”

A report about the evaluation of the phone free pilot is due to be published in June 2026.

Five of the nine schools will go live with the pilot from September. The four remaining schools, Hazelwood IC, Larne HS, Markethill HS and St Joseph’s Boys’ are planning to start in the coming weeks. The nine schools participating in the pilot are:

• Glenlola Collegiate, Bangor
• Friends’ School, Lisburn
• Hazelwood Integrated College, Belfast
• St Genevieve’s High School, Belfast
• St Joseph’s Boys’, Londonderry
• St Fanchea’s College, Enniskillen
• Larne High School
• Markethill High School
• St Ronan’s College, Lurgan