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Parents and teachers alike have become concerned about young people’s prolific smartphone use.

These pocket computers have embedded themselves in our homes and schools, and are given the level of attention we wish our children would show us, whether it’s when they’re being taught or when they’re asked questions about their school day.

There are also widespread concerns that their time could be better spent interacting with friends, exercising or enjoying nature - not to mention worries about the introduction of novel challenges relating to bullying, grooming or viewing inappropriate content.

Phones and medical usage

Given all this, it is easy to see why moves to outlaw phones in schools are so popular, and seem to present a simple solution to this complex problem.

But it is not this straightforward for all children. Those with , or epilepsy, and others who are , often use smartphones as medical devices, via apps that support the monitoring of health conditions. The devices also enable emergency communication.

Another good example is children living with type 1 diabetes, in which the pancreas does not work as it should. Prescribing insulin is life-saving, but is not the end of the story, as the amount needed changes continuously throughout the day - with exercise, food, brain activity and even the weather.

Too little insulin can result in dangerously high levels of glucose in the blood; too much can result in dangerously low levels. Both can be medical emergencies, and this is a 24/7 battle for most families living with this condition.

Medical advances have been life-changing for many living with type 1 diabetes, and many children now have an “artificial pancreas” that measures glucose levels and pumps insulin into the body.

How smartphones help

A smartphone is often a crucial component of this.

The exact role of the smartphone differs depending on a child’s specific medical care, but it can provide communication between a glucose monitor and an insulin pump, and allow rapid and crucial contact with caregivers when young people struggle to make medical decisions.

This might be particularly important when they are cognitively impaired from sub-optimal blood glucose, sleep-deprived from overnight interventions, or when receiving little support for their condition at school.

Discussions of smartphone bans have therefore caused immense anxiety and distress to many in this community.

Anything that restricts the ability of young people to manage this complex condition could cause harm and potentially prove fatal.

Indeed, of children with type 1 diabetes having become too self-conscious to check their smartphones. Some families report experiencing conflict with schools while they try to establish reasonable adjustments for smartphone use.

Others report alienation from the school community, in situations such as parent-organised events where smartphones are not welcome, or hostility when parents are seen to be giving their children access to these devices.

Guidance must change

While current Department for Education guidance on does acknowledge the need for exemptions, it is woefully insufficient.

For example, it notes that “allowing flexibility for individual pupils does not mean that these pupils should be exempt from all restrictions on the use of their mobile phone.

“Schools should develop practices which enable pupils to use their mobile phone for a specific purpose at specific times and locations, for example in a Head of Year’s office.”

Schools lacking full understanding of this condition could understandably interpret this to limit where and when a child with type 1 diabetes checks their phone - which could prove harmful and go against medical advice.

For example, low blood glucose can happen at any moment and should always be treated immediately and “in the seat”. Walking to an office could use up already dangerously low glucose reserves.

The government needs to ensure that any legislation considers this issue more carefully and does not put these pupils and their families at risk or at loggerheads with their school and other families.

How schools can help

Schools with pupils in this situation should be mindful of this issue as we move towards further smartphone restrictions, and consider how they communicate about this with their stakeholders and parents, to recognise that there may be those who require phones for medical purposes.

Indeed, regular mention of smartphones as a medical device in communications with parents could potentially increase understanding and reduce stigma.

Contacting families of children using smartphones as medical devices before finalising policies or corresponding with the wider school community will also reduce challenges down the line.

The safety and wellbeing of the school community should come before all else - and this includes supporting both children at risk of harm from using a smartphone, and those at risk from the policies banning them.

Alice Gregory is the director of research in the Department of Psychology at Royal Holloway, University of London