A teacher has launched a campaign to ban smart phones from schools in Newquay.

Charlie Seyfert, who teaches science at Treviglas Academy, has started the initiative after research carried out showed the devices cause harm to schoolchildren.

She argues smart phones are fuelling a “mental health crisis” due to pupils and students having access to the “darkest parts” of the internet.

The campaigner also argues smart phones damage education and enable children to bully others in their school, which can lead to self-harm and suicide.

Ms Seyfert called on Newquay Town Council to back the campaign after giving a presentation at its meeting on Wednesday, March 5.

She said: “There is a growing body of evidence showing the harm of smart phones.

“Despite that growing body of evidence there is huge societal pressure for parents to provide smart phones to their children younger and younger.

“Parents are feeling this pressure and are desperate for a community to come together to help and support them.

“When you think about it is not a smart phone we are giving children.

“We are giving them super computers in their pockets. “They have got access to all the amazing things online, but they have also got access to the darkest parts of the internet.

“That pulls many, many children into it.

“This is fuelling a mental health crisis.

“Parents feel trapped and don’t want this or they feel isolated. People are coming up to me in the streets saying thank you for raising this as I thought I was on my own.

“As a community we can pull together.”

Ms Seyfert highlighted recent research to underline the importance of her campaign.

She said: “A survey showed 94 per cent of primary parents believe smart phones to be harmful.

“They are right.

“From age 11 to 15 is a critical phase in brain development and it’s the worst time to give children access to a smart phone.

“Ninety per cent of girls have seen unwanted explicit content according to a 2021 review by OFSTED.

“They are not searching for that. It is being sent to them in group chats.

“Fifty one per cent of 11 to 13 year olds have seen hardcore porn, and they then think that it’s normal.

“We’ve now got 84 per cent of bullying happening online, which is vile.

“It is far worse than face to face bullying.

“The things children say online are far worse than things they would say to somebody’s face.”

“That bullying follows that child into their home, into their safe space, into their bedroom.

“Children are very secretive about it.

“They don’t tell their parents they are being bullied because they don’t want to lose their phones as they are worried, they will miss out on more.

“We see a rise in self-harm and suicide.

“Twelve-year-olds in the UK spend on average 29 hours a week on their phone and teens 35 hours a week so that’s a huge, missed opportunity in sports and the great outdoors in Newquay because of these phones.”

Ms Seyfert would like to see Newquay become the first smart phone free school town in the Westcountry following in the footsteps of other towns and countries around the world.

A Safer Phones bill is being discussed by government, but Ms Seyfert says it would take a year to come into action and does not go far enough.

Ms Seyfert is staging a parent event at St Columb Minor Academy on Friday, March 14 at 9am, which aims to open up discussions around smartphone use in young people and support the local parents, carers and schools in coming together in this issue.

She said: “This is a matter that needs collective action. “Some towns, boroughs and countries have already done it.

“We can’t wait for our government. They are looking at the safer phones bill, but it will be a year before they decide with that whether to raise the internet age of consent.

“My ambition is for all Newquay schools to be smart phone free by September 2025.

“Every head teacher and teacher I have spoken to looked so happy and relieved when I suggested it.

“We will be sending a message to the community that smart phones are incompatible with child safety and incompatible with education.

“Let’s make Newquay the first town of smartphone free schools in the West Country.

“I am asking the town council to support this movement.”

Newquay Town Council resolved unanimously to write to all heads of primary and secondary schools in Newquay to offer its support for the campaign.

The authority is offering head teachers to make representations at its forthcoming community and tourism meeting where the issue will be discussed.

Mayor Drew Creek said: “I believe the whole chamber found Ms Seyfert commentary to ask for support on removing smart phones from schools to be extremely powerful.

“I like many parents of children am grappling with this very issue at home balancing wanting to give children freedom whilst keeping them safe.

“The evidence is clear though that smartphones are not healthy for young developing minds and are detrimental to our children’s education.

“I was pleased to be able to support the call for this to be fully discussed at our Community and Tourism committee and write to all school heads in Newquay expressing our support for this initiative.

“This feels like the right thing for our schools, our children and our community.”