In a tense PMQs before Rachel Reeves’ spring statement, Kemi Badenoch demanded why Labour MPs voted “against banning phones in schools”.

“Obviously a lot of people have been watching Adolescence recently and there’s conversation around what young people are seeing online and so the Tories think it’s a good [issue] to pick up,” said Lizzy Buchan on The Division Bell podcast.

PM Keir Starmer shot back at Badenoch’s suggestion, exclaiming that banning phones in schools was “completely unnecessary”, despite only 11% of secondary schools having an effective ban on phones in the classroom, according to a study by Policy Exchange.

“All the schools seem to be saying is, we already banned them anyway. Do we really need the government bossing us around?” Buchan said, defending Starmer’s stance.

However, the issue is much more complicated than that. The Netflix show highlights that it’s not the access to the internet that is the problem but the information circulating on the platforms young people are seeing.

“We’ve got to deal with what children are seeing, but from my personal view, growing up with a phone, I don’t think that’s possible,” said the Express’ Christian Calgie.

“It isn’t possible for parents or authority figures to [police children on phones] because kids are always going to be better with technology and circumnavigating bans. They know how to use VPNs to get around content blockers that parents may have set up on the home router.”

Although safeguarding children’s access to harmful material must be highlighted, The Division Bell hosts were in rare agreement that it is not teachers responsibility to “prevent 30 pupils in a classroom from going on phones”.

“I found it really shocking the amount that schools are basically on the front line. All other services have been cut back so much that you’ve got to a point where you go to a school and it’s…got all sorts of services that just aren’t being provided anywhere else,.” Lizzy explained.

“So many teachers you speak to, they’re just totally overwhelmed by the behaviour control in class and then basically acting as social workers to children.”

Listen to this week’s episode of The Division Bell on Spotify, Apple and Youtube.