An online petition calling for 'smartphone free schools' that has been signed by over 34,000 parents is starting to gain momentum in Winchester. 

Nineteen schools in Winchester and four from Romsey have seen parents sign the petition calling to ban smartphones from schools.

In Winchester the schools are;

  • Westgate School,
  • Weeke Primary School,
  • St Peter's RC Primary School,
  • Princes Mead School,
  • St Bede CE Primary School,
  • St Faith’s CE Primary School,
  • Western CE Primary School,
  • Oliver’s Battery Primary School,
  • St Swithun’s School,
  • Kings' School,
  • Kings Worthy Primary School,
  • Sparsholt CE Primary School,
  • All Saints CE Primary School,
  • Barton Farm Primary Academy,
  • The Pilgrim’s School,
  • Henry Beaufort School,
  • Itchen Abbas Primary School,
  • Stanmore Primary School,
  • Sherborne House School,


and Romsey;

  • Halterworth Primary School,
  • Awbridge Primary School, Awbridge
  • Embley
  • King Edward VI School


Hampshire is now the fourth leading region for the online petition calling for 'Smartphone Free Schools',  as it has been signed by parents from over 262 schools, counting for 1,526 children.

The petition was put together by grassroots movement 'Smartphone Free Childhood', who hope that the petition will push for a future of schools without smartphones.

Describing themselves as an accidental movement, friends and founders Daisy and Clare set up a WhatsApp group in February to support each other in the decision to hold off on buying their kids smartphones. Within 24 hours, thousands of other parents had joined the group after an Instagram post by Daisy went viral. 

The initial group quickly maxed out at 1000 members, so they encouraged people to set up local groups to build the conversation in their areas. Within hours over 60 Smartphone Free Childhood WhatsApp groups had launched the length and breadth of Britain, kicking off a national conversation about the harms of smartphones for children.

The national poll currently sits at 34,780 parents from 6,357 schools, with the number one spot held by Hertfordshire, followed by Surrey, South West London and then Hampshire, fourth.

'Smartphone Free Childhood' states;
'We’re on mission to change the cultural norm that children are given smartphones, and challenge Big Tech’s ever-increasing colonisation of childhood.'

With three clear goals;
1. Growing the national conversation about the harms of smartphones for children.

2. Empowering parents and schools to take collective action and create change at a local level.

3. Putting pressure on government and tech companies to help us protect our children.

You can read more about the movement and follow the results of the petition here; www.SmartphoneFreeChildhood.co.uk