Is it appropriate for schools and events to have smartphones turned off?

When Sir Paul McCartney performed at the Santa Barbara Bowl, he promised fans an intimate show. However, the former Beatle took a proactive approach by agreeing to implement a temporary “lockdown” on selfies and filming during concerts.

All 4,500 fans had to keep their mobile phones in lockable pouches for the duration of the concert, and they enjoyed a completely “phone-free” event.

“Nobody has a phone,” McCartney announced during his 25-song setlist. “Really, it’s better!” He added.

Banning phones on a large scale is a surprisingly simple process.

When visiting the venue, concertgoers are required to place their phone in a pouch that closes magnetically.

They hold the phone and the magnet comes off at the end of the demonstration.

Artists like Dave Chappelle, Alicia Keys, Guns N’ Roses, Childish Gambino and Jack White have embraced the freedom, saying it allows them to perform at their best – or even experiment more.

In an interview in Rolling Stone in June, Sabrina Carpenter discussed potentially banning phones from future concerts.

It seems that some music lovers are embracing this idea.

Shannon Valdes, a fan of the Lane 8 DJ event, posted on social media: “It was refreshing to be part of a crowd where everyone was fully present – ​​dancing, connecting and enjoying the best moments – rather than recording them.”

The inventor of the pouch technology experienced a similar epiphany at a music festival in 2012.

“I saw a guy dancing drunk and a stranger filmed him and immediately posted it online,” explains Graham Dugoni. “It kind of shocked me.

“I wondered what implications the footage might have for her, but I also began to question what our expectations of privacy should be in the modern world.”

Within two years, the 38-year-old ex-professional footballer founded Yondr, an American start-up that promotes phone-free spaces.

The lockable pouch market is still in its early stages, but more companies are beginning to emerge. Sachets are widely used in theatres and art galleries, and increasingly in schools.

Each costs between £7 and £30, depending on the supplier and the size of the order.

Yondr has worked with about 2.2 million schools in the US and says about 250,000 children in England now use its wallet in 500 schools – including one trust, the Academy Yorkshire, which cost £75,000 for a Yondr pouch.

Paul Nugent created Hush Pouch after working for 20 years installing lockers in schools. He says there’s a lot for principals to consider.

He explains, “Yes, the device may seem like an expensive way to keep phones out of schools, and some people question why they can’t insist on keeping phones in the student’s backpack.”

“But smartphones create anxiety, worry and FOMO – fear of missing out. The only way to allow children to concentrate in lessons and enjoy break time is to put them away.”

Yondr’s Dugoni says school leaders have reported several benefits from adopting a phone-free policy.

“There has been a significant improvement in academic performance and principals also report a reduction in bullying,” he explains.

Vale of York Academy in York Use of pouches started in November And headteacher Gillian Mills told the BBC, “This gives us extra confidence that students’ learning is not being disrupted.

“We are no longer confiscating phones, which takes time, or arguing about handing over phones, but teachers are also asserting their ability to teach.”

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said her party will demand a complete ban on smartphones in schools if it enters office.

The Labor government has eased the England-wide ban on smartphones in schools.

stating that headteachers should make the decision; however, it has also initiated a consultation on banning social media for those under 16.

It is part of a series of measures which will also see England’s education inspectorate, Ofsted, given the power to scrutinise policies on phone use when visiting schools, with ministers saying they hope schools will be “phone-free by default” as a result.

Nugent says most parents feel it’s safer for their child to have their phone on the way to school than to leave it at home.

“The initial week following system installation is quite challenging,” he continues. “Children refuse or try to break the bag. But when they realise no one else has a phone, most of them embrace it as a kind of freedom.”

The continued expansion of social media platforms and AI brings this concept into direct competition with the San Francisco tech giants and their algorithms, which are designed to promote smartphone use continually in everyday life.

But Nugent believes social protest is gaining momentum.

“We are getting a lot of enquiries now. People want to ban phones at weddings, theatres and even on film sets,” he says.

“There are many benefits to effectively carrying a computer in your hand, but smartphones also expose us to a lot of misdirection and misinformation.

“Implementing breaks has many positive aspects, especially for young people, including benefits for their mental health.”

Dugoni concurs that we are at a crucial juncture.

He explains, “We are getting closer to jeopardising the root of what makes us human in terms of social interaction, critical thinking abilities, and developing the skills to function in the modern world.”

“If we continue to rely on this crutch, there is a danger that we will undermine what it means to be a productive person.

“And this is a moment where it is appropriate to step back and try to understand where we go from here.”

McCartney’s 4,500 fans singing along to Hey Jude at sunset in late September may have thought they had a point.