Many people tell me to ‘just take the phone away’, but in some schools that is forbidden

The end of the summer holidays saw many teachers return to the classroom with a real sense of foreboding. I know, I can hear the voices now: boohoo, go cry me a river about your six weeks off. But wait, for me, the truth is this: I love teaching. Yes, young people can, at times, be challenging, but they are funny and insightful and I find real meaning in my job. It’s not the pupils or the parents or the marking I dread, it’s the mobile phones.

A few years ago, it went like this: I would raise my eyebrows and feign a cough. The young person would glance up from their phone, with a look of guilt, offer a stuttering apology and promise it wouldn’t happen again. That was then, this is now.

Children's addiction to smartphones is damaging their education and social skills – Charles Tate