Tuesday November 18th 2025
West Lothian Council headquarters
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Stuart Sommerville
A ban on mobile phones within schools may be an option for councillors in West Lothian.
A meeting of the full council saw across the board support for an investigation into the use of mobiles in schools and a look to other councils to discover best practice.
The motion stems from growing evidence of bullying on social media and disruption in classrooms.
Labour argued that a policy on mobiles had been in place for six months and followed government guidelines. Highlighting Edinburgh’s recent decision on lockable pouches and cabinets for phones in schools it highlighted the extra costs that would would bring if introduced in West Lothian.
Labour group, and council leader, Councillor Lawrence Fitzpatrick said a “tiny cohort” of parents wanted an outright ban and argued that the council policy should remain as is. The party put forward an amendment which was soundly rejected 21 votes to 11.
The Tories welcomed the Lib Dem/SNP composite and group leader Damian Doran-Timson commended councilor Sally Pattle for proposing the initial motion.
What was billed in papers for the meeting today (Tuesday) suggested councillors were being asked to vote on the introduction of a ban on phones in schools.
Councillor Sally Pattle stressed that she was only calling for an investigation by officers into mobile phone use in schools.
Her initial motion was superseded by a composite put together with Councillor Moira McKee-Shemilt.
Councillor Pattle, Linlithgow’s Lib Dem member, apologised for the “clumsy wording” of the motion as it appeared in papers saying this was an earlier version sent in error.
“I want to make it very clear that all we are calling for is an investigation into the use of smart devices across our school estate so that we as elected members can make an informed and evidence based decision on their future use at every stage of education.”
Councillor Pattle added that the use of smart devices in schools has become ubiquitous without “undergoing any formal decision making process”.
Seconding the motion Moira McKee-Shemilt referred to a “paradigm shift” in schools so that people use phones differently. “Going by my inbox I do think there’s a time for conversation. It is a concern for parents as councillors we have to listen to our communities.”
She added: “I have been speaking to teachers to parents and pupils, most importantly and I firmly believe now is time for us to look again at their further use and identify any issues that we as an education authority can take to protect our young people.”
Councillor Andrew McGuire, Independent, who is Executive councillor for Education and seconded the original motion said schools were placed in a “precarious position” where they were expected to educate on the advantages and disadvantages of technology and also to police the use of mobile phones.
He added: “I do think it is incumbent upon us to take our part in the debate about whether phones should be an integral part of school or whether they should be removed. I’d like to thank everyone. We have had lively discussions about it in the last few weeks. It is a hot topic.”
Linlithgow SNP councillor Pauline Orr told the meeting the motion was a positive contribution. “The administration are in denial of what is happening in our schools. Phone usage has resulted in a surge of bullying behaviour and victimisation in our schools and that needs to be managed effectively.”
She told the meeting that she knew of pupils who were cutting themselves because of in class bullying by mobile phone.
Andrew Miller for the SNP added “Councillor Fitzpatrick uses a lot of words to say ‘Do nothing’. He tells us its a few emails from a tiny cohort but I would suggest speaking to the young people before you decide to bury your head in the sand.
“The power of the interconnected world is a powerful research and learning tool and we should not throw it out willy-nilly. However the issues of classroom disruption and online bullying appear to be on the rise and of significant concern to many. The effect of smart phones on mental health and attention span in another area of increasing concern.
“I am no expert, nor do I have the answers, which is why I think we need to have that conversation with the study of good practice. Let’s speak to our young people and to experts and make an informed decision.”
Councillor Doran Timson said mobiles created more issues than they solved in schools. “I’ll be supporting this motion. I just want to commend Councillor Pattle and Councillor McGuire for bringing this forward.”
Councillor Tom Conn, for Labour, said parents had contacted him asked to support the ban based on “ the headline” that this what the motion was about. He added that Councillor Pattle: “Can explain to the public in Linlithgow why she’s not looking for a ban. She’s looking for some sort of investigation for something that was agreed at the Education Executive in May.
“I do expect the head teachers and teachers to look after our kids. We have guidelines in place the Scottish Government have got guidelines in place, unless we’re suggesting we’re not following guidelines?
“The hype put up on this issue is because it has been poorly worded from the start.”
After the meeting a spokesperson for the council outlined the existing policy agreed in June: “We have not banned phones in any school and the decision on how to manage that remains with the Head Teacher in consultation with each individual school community.
“As a local authority, we’re continuing to promote safe and responsible use of digital devices by:
– Encouraging positive behaviour through clear agreements about responsible use Teaching internet safety as part of the curriculum
– Working closely with parents to find a balanced approach that supports learning
“Our Digital Learning Manager also works with interested Parent Councils to support any discussions around responsible use of technology.”
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