Mike Macleod, Scottish Labour & Co-operative Party Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Orkney, stated:
“A Scottish Labour Government will implement a nationwide ban on mobile phones in classrooms to make them calm and safe places for learning again.”
“Mobile phones are a known distraction in classrooms, encouraging negative behaviour including cyberbullying and hindering the ability of pupils to learn.”
“Such studies as have been carried out indicate that a mobile phone ban will tend to improve pupils attention, reduce disruptive behaviour and in time increase pupils’ exam results. And common-sense will tell us, previous generations of schoolchildren – including many of today’s top decision-makers – went through school quite happily without mobile phones, and never suffered as a result.”
Scottish Labour’s mobile ban initiative was part of the Scottish Policy Forum Final Paper, which was approved at a special conference in Edinburgh on 22 November. This will form the basis of Scottish Labour’s 2026 Manifesto.
This Scottish Labour policy commitment comes at a time when concern is growing about the increasing number of children with Additional Support Needs – in Orkney as nationwide.
Mr Macleod said:
“Any concerns parents might have are easily resolved. Any well-run school will always have a telephone facility for children to contact their parents, and for parents when necessary to contact their child.”
“At Scottish Labour’s November Conference, I was especially impressed by the testimony of a teenage pupil. She explained how her school had introduced a mobile ban. Her own attention levels, and then her scores went up. And she noticed how other children’s disruptive behaviour diminished. Previously, her classmates had even been using mobile phones in class time to arrange fights after school!”
The elections to the Scottish Parliament take place on Thursday 7 May 2026.
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