Primary School Bans Smartphones After 9,000 Messages Are Sent In Just One Night In Children’s Whatsapp Group

A British primary school has prohibited smartphones after a student’s phone was discovered with 9,000 messages sent in a single night on a year-long WhatsApp group.

At Blackhorse Primary School in Bristol, children will now be prevented from bringing smartphones to school following a discussion about safety, triggered by a teacher noticing multiple notifications on a student’s screen.

In recent years, students were permitted to bring smartphones to school but were required to surrender them to the teacher during lessons. However, one phone was inadvertently left in the teacher’s cupboard overnight and returned to the student the next day, revealing 9,000 notifications from activity in a Year Six WhatsApp group.

Stunned by this finding, executive headteacher Simon Botten initiated a discussion with parents about whether smartphones should be permitted in schools, resulting in a new rule banning students from bringing them.

In a post on his personal blog, Mr. Botten expressed concerns about the growing risks of cyber-bullying and online predatory behavior, noting that the decision was widely supported by parents.

Mr. Botten wrote about the Year Six student’s phone: ‘The teacher picked up the phone, waking it, only to see a notification of 9,000 missed messages from the Year 6 pupil WhatsApp group overnight. Nine thousand messages in a 15-hour overnight period.

“After nearly two decades in headship, I have watched this technological phenomenon unfold slowly.

“At first, it was imperceptible: the odd argument via old-fashioned texts, the odd child seeing something online which they shouldn’t (always at home). But over the years I have seen the risks grow ever more significant and ever more frequent.”

He highlighted issues such as increasing cyberbullying on WhatsApp, the sharing of inappropriate images, a shift toward spending time online rather than outdoors, and children being ‘glued to their phones’ once the devices were returned at the end of the school day.

He added: “And then something much darker. A rise in predatory strangers approaching children online in their bedrooms whilst their parents watch Eastenders downstairs.

“Near miss, after near miss. But, the thing is, if you have enough near misses – the chances of a collision rises to 100 per cent.”

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli