All language subtitles for Swiped The School That Banned Smartphones S01E01 720p ALL4 WEB-DL AAC2 0 H 264-RAWR[EZTVx.to]_Subtitles01.ENG

This programme contains discussions
of suicide and scenes that some
viewers may find upsetting

Our daughter, she was 11
when she got a smartphone.

It's been the biggest disrupter
of us and her, I think.

You know, I feel like I lose her to
it quite a bit, you know? And...

And I miss her, you know?

EMMA: Like lots of parents, Matt
and I are becoming increasingly

worried about the effects
of smartphones and social media

on our children.

Over 90% of 11-year-olds
own a smartphone,

and almost half
of the nation's nine-year-olds

currently have one, too.

We have three kids.

Two of them are
year eight and year 11,

and I really wanted to know
what effects smartphones have

on that age group.

There are times when I definitely
feel like I've lost them.

With research showing that
a quarter of UK teens

are glued to their smartphones
for more than five hours a day,

it's clear
that something needs to be done.

NOTIFICATION TONES

One of the things that concerns me
the most about the widespread

adoption of smartphones
in children and adolescents

is its impact on sleep, mood,
depression, anxiety, attention.

In a landmark scientific experiment,

a group of 12-year-old schoolchildren

are giving up their smartphones
for three weeks.

Will locking away
their devices make our kids happier,

healthier and more ready to learn?

And will this experiment prove
that smartphones should be banned

until at least the age of 14?

PHONES BUZZ, NOTIFICATION TONES

Yeah. OK.

For me and Emma, being on our
smartphones is part of our job.

But it's how much time our kids
spend on THEIR smartphones

that's got us worried.

Some experts feel that smartphones
should be banned

under the age of 16.

Some feel 14 is an appropriate age.

In the UK, there are limited laws
in place to protect children online.

Recently, the Government issued
a recommendation for schools

to prohibit the use of mobile
phones during the school day.

I think, as parents these days,

we're really concerned with
a lot of the threats that exist

outside our home.

We're perhaps not focusing enough on
some of the threats that exist

within the home.

I don't really think social
media is a safe place.

People make fun of you.

Sometimes you can get things that
pop up that aren't what you want.

I saw this video on TikTok
where it was like,

"If you don't like,
then your mum will die."

Online bullying, sextortion,
violent pornography -

these are just a few examples of the

harmful content our kids encounter,

and to worrying effect.

Teens with problematic smartphone use

are twice as likely
to experience anxiety,

and 50% more
likely to struggle with depression.

We're actually changing
the fundamental nature

of what it means to be a child.

Across the country, a number
of schools have started putting

smartphone restrictions in place.

We're following the Stanway School
in Essex

as they take part
in our total phone ban experiment.

So, we're feeling more positive
about homework.

I like that.

A group of 12-year-olds
will be giving up

all their digital devices
for 21 days.

That's smartphones, tablets,
laptops - even their gaming devices.

What I'm worried about with
this phone ban is losing,

like, all the trends and stuff.

It's like if you're boring, people
won't want to be friends with you.

Three weeks is a long time
if you have it every day

for six hours or so.

That's a long, long time.

The children will be
monitored throughout

by researchers
from the University of York.

ROBOTIC VOICE: Eyes closed.

DR CHATTERJEE: This experiment
is the first of its kind.

No one ever before has measured
this scale of digital detox

for this length of time.

I don't know what I want
for breakfast.

There's lots of eggs
and there's yoghurt.

Matt and I will be joining
the students,

and giving up our devices
for 21 days too.

I think we've signed up
to the experiment

because we're living it. Yeah.

You know, we're going through it
with our kids

and we have no idea
how to navigate this.

And we're worried, we're scared.

Everything we're seeing is negative,
but we don't know how to stop it.

Our kids first had a phone

when they went to secondary school,
didn't they? Yeah, they were 11.

It feels like everybody
has one and THEY want one.

My older two, like, I remember
sitting on the couch once

and the TV was playing,
and we were all on our phone,

and I was like,
"Oh, no, this is not good."

Personally, for me,

I wish that I'd never given
them a smartphone.

I feel like it's on us,

because we should be the ones setting
the example, shouldn't we?

Yet we are also heavy phone users.

It really feels like something
like this is really necessary,

now especially, because it feels like
things are escalating really quickly.

Can we move course slightly?

Because this seems
to be heading for disaster.

Stanway is your average
comprehensive school.

We face the same problems
that every other school

in the country is facing.

LIVELY CHATTER

It's sad when the kids talk about,

"Oh, all I did last night was,
I was just on Snapchat or TikTok

"until 1:00 in the morning."

Their lives are lived
through phones, those kids.

12 to 13-year-olds,

you're starting to expose to the
beginnings of an adult world.

How much are smartphones
dictating their experience?

You have access to
quite harmful content online -

bullying, body image issues,

suicide encouragement sites
and things like that.

There are things that you would not
want anywhere near a young person.

Social media has had an impact
on mental health at Stanway.

There are more and more kids
becoming anxious,

and almost anxious to the point
where they can't attend school.

I've been in pastoral now
for six years.

There was a couple
when I first started.

Now you're looking at two
dozen per year group.

ALEX: Right, guys,
do you want to come in, please?

Find a space, please.

I have, like, anxiety
and it started in secondary school.

And it only really happens
at school.

And I also get, like, panic attacks.

At the start of the year,
I was having three a day.

Right, today's lesson -
first task, you've got the fat pens.

Miss Deighton will kill me
if you use these on them.

Don't use these.

I still get really, really anxious
at night.

And I get a lot of nightmares
in the middle of the night.

Can someone else write?

When I got my first phone,
I think I was four.

And then I'd used my mum's
phone before that.

My phone use,

I think it was about
four hours today,

but before, in the summer holidays,
it was nearly ten.

Wow, you guys are going for it.

I would wake up every morning
and have, like, 2,000 messages

on my phone.

I think the most messages
I've had was, like,

3,000 just from one group chat.

I wouldn't say I'm addicted to it,

but it is like one
of my main priorities.

BELL RINGS
ALEX:Right, guys,

can you tuck your
chairs under, please?

When the bell rings,
it's quite exciting

because I haven't been on my phone,

so it's like
a moment of relief just to go on it.

The Stanway teachers are hoping
the total phone ban will result in

a number of improvements
in their students' learning.

A big thing for me is
how it affects their sleep,

and whether we notice
that in school.

Some of them, their phone use
isn't monitored at all at home,

and they're up
until 2:00, 3:00 in the morning.

So, I taught Jess last year.

Very studious,
often put her hand up.

You know, are things going to
improve perhaps

because she doesn't have her phone?

In terms of concentration,

Liana, when you get her focussed,
she works really hard.

But that focus kind of blows
a little bit hot and cold.

The University of York research
team have designed a 21-day ban -

a sufficient time frame
to see a difference

in the students'
physical and mental health.

All you need to do is press
the spacebar when you see a number,

but not when it is a three.

But before they can begin,

they have some essential pre-ban
testing to complete.

We'll be monitoring them
before and after,

but critically,
we'll also be monitoring them

throughout the study itself -

minute-by-minute fluctuations in
things like well-being, sleep,

brain alertness
and cognitive abilities.

The students will be wearing
special smartwatches

to track their biological responses
to the experiment,

and an EEG will measure
the cognitive effects of the ban

on the brain.

Nothing can go wrong, right?

Absolutely nothing can go wrong.
Like, I can't get electrocuted?

No. No, no, no.

PROFESSOR HENDERSON:
This total ban allows us to

really push things to the extremes.

So essentially, we'll be able
to reveal whether taking phones away

wakes up the brain,
puts it in a better state

for positive well-being
and learning.

With all the testing now complete,
tomorrow a group of 12-year-olds

will have all their electronic
devices locked away in this box

for three weeks.

What does Dr Chatterjee hope
this total ban will achieve?

Hi! Hey, how are you doing? Hey!

Have a seat. Thank you very much.

We are part of this experiment,

and one of the guinea pigs,
along with the kids.

You are very much a man of science.

Do you feel like we can see
a difference in three weeks?

I would be very, very surprised
if we don't see improvements

in things like sleep, mood
and attention.

But you never
know until you test it.

One in four children, we think,
are using smartphones

in an addictive
or compulsive manner.

Now, what's really interesting is,

the studies which have
looked at this show that

they're losing grey matter.

What's grey matter? Well,
grey matter is the part of the brain

that's involved with
things like processing information

and our thinking.

Really interestingly, that pattern
is very similar to the pattern

we see in people with substance
abuse or addiction problems.

EMMA GASPS

Oh, my God.

I've seen so many teenage boys
over the years come in.

They can barely look at me
in the eye,

and they're basically concerned
about their use of pornography.

So, we know that
one in ten nine-year-olds

have already seen pornography.
EMMA GASPS

Oh, my God.

One in four 11-year-olds
have seen pornography.

Wow. Yeah, I mean, I...

Nine years old.

So, are these kids actively
searching for porn,

or are they being served it?

We know that,
particularly with most young boys,

the first time
they access pornography,

they've not searched it out.

It's popping up.

That is mind-blowing.

We've got some research
which is showing us

that if you're a first-time user

and you go on one of the world's
most popular pornography sites,

you will be exposed to
non-consensual sex acts or violence.

So a child goes on a porn site
for the first time,

and they will see
non-consensual sex and violence?

Yeah.

And because there's no proof
of what your real age is,

you can just put any old age
and you can get on that site.

Yeah.

That's terrifying.
I mean, that's terrifying.

I know there are
parental controls... Yeah.

..but it's not always easy for them
all to put on the parental controls

and know how to use them.
Be on top of it, yeah.

Do you know what I mean?

I wouldn't even know how to put
an age restriction on your internet.

I thought you'd done it
on their devices.

No, I didn't
know how to do it on their devices.

I think you can do
it with your internet supplier.

Don't say that, because I'm the one
who's sorted all the phones out.

You said that you were putting
them on their devices.

Did I? Yes!

No, no, because I put age
restrictions on, like,

Fortnite and things like that,
and...

I don't know. I'll sort it out.

Bloody hell.

I mean, my brain is fried...

That was really intense.
..after that.

And I can't help but, one - feel
like I'm failing as a parent

when it comes to online use.

And those statistics for porn
have literally made me want to

run home and check everything.

I think it just kind of spurs
you on, doesn't it?

It's about going, "Look,
this is a real problem." Yeah.

"And we can ignore it for
a while and hope for the best,

"or we can start doing something
about it now."

And hopefully something that can
create a bigger conversation

and bigger change.

BELL RINGS

We've heard from the experts how
smartphones are affecting our kids,

but I want to hear first-hand
what the Stanway students think.

I haven't been on a school
bus for years.

I haven't been on a BUS for years.
Did you get a school bus?

I used to get a school bus, yeah.

Is it this one?

Find a seat.

Jessica is one of the students
taking part in the phone ban with us.

How are you feeling
about the experiment?

I'm still quite shocked
I actually, like, signed up.

That you've agreed?
That I've agreed to do it.

Do you use your phone much
at school?

What are the rules?

Phones should not be seen,
not be heard.

And if they are,
then they'll be confiscated,

and you have to go and collect them
at the end of the day.

And how many kids follow those rules?

Ten?

EMMA LAUGHS

Hello!

Oh, did you have a nice time
at school? Yeah.

I'm Emma. Hello, Emma. Jenny.

Hi, Jenny. Nice to meet you.

How old were you when you first
got social media?

I think it was ten.

I got it on my tenth birthday.

Right, and what did you get?

I got TikTok.

How did you feel getting TikTok?

At first, it was like a really nice
sort of sense of community

because it's like,
"Oh, these people like what I like."

And then I got closer
with this girl.

She starts asking me some
funny questions.

Like, in an inappropriate way,

or just in a way where things started
to not make sense?

Like, "Oh, what's in
your photo albums?"

And just, like, really personal
things that no one... Right.

You wouldn't want to really share
that online.

I answered a lot of her questions,

and then eventually it got to
something where I thought,

"This isn't right."
Something's not right.

So I put, "Oh, no, sorry,
I've got to go."

And she was saying, "Oh, no, I need
you to stay here with me."

And it was like pressuring me,
almost, into staying.

And I remember one time
I was in the bath,

and because I was so concerned
about this person,

because I thought she was real,

I had my phone, like,
next to me in the bath,

making sure she was OK.

And then I go back onto TikTok
the next day

and she's made a
full-blown hate page.

And that's what got made
for me as a ten-year-old.

I was so upset.

Even people in the comment section
were saying,

"She's only a little girl.
What has she possibly done?"

That's what made me...

I put everything down for two years.

And did you ever find out
who it was?

All I can remember is that one time
I was on a FaceTime call,

and she was showing me, like,
her screen on her iPad,

and her iPad suddenly died,
so it went black.

And in the reflection, I could see
someone holding a phone

who definitely wasn't an
11-year-old girl.

I don't know if it was a man
or a woman.

I suspect it was a man.

It's awful, isn't it?

I mean, it absolutely terrifies me
as a mum of kids your age.

How much do you think
that your mental health was affected

when that happened?

I wasn't getting
enough sleep at night.

I was worrying that something
was going to happen.

It made me feel a bit stupid,

because I was sort of thinking to
myself, "How did I fall for this?"

And especially...
Because you were ten!

I know, but...

Isn't that awful, that you're
thinking that it's your fault?

Sorry. I'm so sorry.

That conversation with Jess
has left my head all over the place.

People posing as young kids
to make friends,

and you're really not knowing
who you're talking to.

That was my biggest fear
coming into this.

That was what I thought...

..you know, the dark parts
of social media were.

And even though we're at
the beginning, you know,

it's becoming very aware
very quickly that there's a whole

host of shit going on that you think
you know about as a parent,

but you really haven't got a clue.

Can you get off the bike, please?

It's the morning of the phone ban.

Good morning. Can you stick that
blazer on for me, please?

I think you're not gonna
last a week.

I think you're gonna last a minute.

I'm not really looking forward
to giving up my phone.

So nervous!

I don't know what this thing's
gonna be like.

I think my body's telling me
that it's going to be bad.

I feel strange - a sign that
it could be bad.

I can't believe I'm not
going to have my phone

for three weeks.

It's going to be like
in the olden days. Yeah.

I'm already quite excited about
not receiving phone calls

from certain people,
and not a WhatsApp going off

that then I think about
till four in the morning.

"Oh, my God,
what am I going to do about that?"

That's quite exciting. Yeah.

Everything else about it is awful.

I reckon in the first, like,
week or few days,

I'll be like,
"Give me my phone back!"

But, yeah, you're not
going to do well.

There's no way.

This is going.

And because this is going,

I'm replacing it with this...

..a brick phone for emergencies,

a CD player and headphones.

I actually realised that the only
CDs I have are my own.

MATT CHUCKLES

So I won't be packing those.

Once this goes, that's it.

I've got to be honest, I'm quite
worried about my phone use.

The word "addiction" gets batted
around quite a lot

when it comes to phones,

and I found that a bit weird

from someone
who is a recovering drug addict.

But when I think about it,
I AM addicted to my phone,

because when I'm without it,
I crave it.

When I'm not on it,
I think about it.

It's only 21 days.

If anyone needs to get hold of me,
they'll get hold of me.

I act the same way about this device
as I have about substances

in the past.

I mean, now or never, right?

Impending doom.

Here we go.

Come on! Quickly!

One in five students in school are
spending more time on their phone

than they are on their education.

That's a ratio we need to readdress.

I'll hold your hand. Thanks.

Don't worry, I've got your back.

Thanks very much. I appreciate it.

Have you seen that thing,
The Cube, that TV programme?

That looks like the box,
but if the box was tiny.

At least my phone's
being treated well. Yeah.

Hello! Hi!
ALL: Hello!

How are you feeling? Fine. Fine?

You look nervous.

Are you nervous?
Yeah. Not really.

OK. It's finally here. Yeah.

No.Yep, it's happening, guys!
EMMA LAUGHS

It's happening.
There's a few shaking of the heads.

Right, this is 21 days
with no smartphones.

There is no access to iPads.

No access to laptops
unless it is for school purposes.

So this is where you say goodbye
to scrolling.

Oh...no.

That's my life.

DR CHATTERJEE LAUGHS

I feel like I'm the bearer
of bad news. Absolutely.

You say goodbye to social media...

No! What?!

..and probably most importantly
for you lot,

you are going to say
goodbye to your Snapchat streak.

LIVELY CHATTER

DR CHATTERJEE LAUGHS

I bet you're all thinking,

"Why on earth
are we doing this", right? Yeah.

Yeah.
EMMA LAUGHS

We're also feeling the same,
because we are doing it as well.

Yeah. Which is terrifying.

How are you all feeling?

I'm looking forward
to getting my phone back.

LAUGHTER

OK, so listen, now is your time -
if you want to -

to send any last Snapchats,
TikToks, messages.

Are YOU actually doing it?!

I'm doing one too.

Scarlett, you're up first.

Hi, Scarlett. Hi.

How are you feeling?
Scared. Yeah?

What are you going to miss the most
about your smartphone?

Oh, loads.
Like TikTok, Snapchat, everything.

Yeah. I love my phone.

Can I say bye?

Yeah.Love you.Aw!I'll miss you.
LAUGHTER

See you soon.

APPLAUSE
Well done!Well done!

Harry W. Oh, boy.

APPLAUSE
Well done.

Yes, Harry!

How does it feel?

Horrible.

Theo, what is the one thing you think
you're going to miss the most?

My phone,

because I just won't have
anything to do.

Since the dawn of time,
kids didn't have phones.

I don't know how they coped, but...

I think the kids are going to find
not having their phones hard.

I think that you'll probably find
that some,

where their lives revolve around it,

they're going to find it
near to impossible.

How are you feeling, Liana?

A little bit sad.

A little bit sad? It's my life.

Yeah. Yeah.

I'm actually really excited.

Are you? Are you? Great.

I sort of feel like it's going to be
a weight off my shoulders, almost.

Yes! Yeah! Absolutely.

Oh, Miles is going straight
for the drop.

How are you feeling, Miles? Fine.

I nearly gave up because my dad
did it without me asking.

Oh, what, he signed up for you
without you knowing?

Yeah. Really? But I'm doing it now
because I get £5 a day, so...

Oh, do you really?
MATT AND EMMA LAUGH

That's a good deal.
It's a win-win.

It's a win-win. Yeah!

APPLAUSE

You feeling all right? No.

Come on, Isaac! Pop it in.

Yay! Yes! Yes! Well done, mate!

In it goes. Well done.

Thank you. Well done.

Right, teachers.

Oh, there's a lot of stuff
in there, isn't there?

Yeah. Yeah.

APPLAUSE

Alex, up you come, mate.

I'm kind of doing it for me,
but also to set a bit of an example

and be a bit of a role model,
because I hope they know

that I'm going to find
it just as hard as them.

Yay! Come on, mate! Well done.
APPLAUSE

I think we're done, aren't we?
Almost. No.

I'm literally like, "Have it!"

In! Come on, Matt.

See you soon.
He's with you, Scarlett.

CHEERS AND APPLAUSE
Well done, guys.

So, this is the big moment.

Yes! I love you!

Go!

THEY ALL CHANT:
Do it! Do it! Do it!

Yeah! There we go.

And it's locked.

The experiment has begun, guys!

Good luck.

PRODUCER: How did you feel
the moment you saw your phone

go into the box?

Traumatised.
Like, it's finally happened.

"Oh, my God, I've just put my life
in there."

"It's completely gone."

A bit dramatic, but... No!

Today was good, but also
really scary because, like,

I tapped my pocket and I thought,
"Oh, my God, where's my phone gone?"

I wish that I could just click my
fingers and it's all over.

So sad that I've got to leave it.

I'm too sad... I'm too sad to cry.

Hello! Hi!

Wow, there's lots of you!
There's lots of you!

You all right? Hi, everyone.

We know the students have found

parting with
their beloved devices difficult.

But do their parents have any
concerns about the experiment?

I mean, I really don't know
how Harry's gonna cope

without his phone
for three weeks, if I'm honest.

But it will be nice to interact
with Harry more,

because he's constantly
glued to a screen.

Scarlett came home yesterday

and said about
how long she spent on her phone.

It was, like, nine hours
and I was absolutely mortified.

We want her to get the art
of conversation again, face to face,

rather than it being on a device.

Thank you so much -

not just for coming here today, but
also for handing over your children.

LAUGHTER

We are not babysitting.
LAUGHTER

Excited, apprehensive?

A bit of both. A bit of both? OK.

Well, listen, guys, yes,
I'm a doctor, but I'm also a dad.

There's nothing here about making
people feel bad.

I think we're all trying to do
our best in a brand-new world that,

frankly, we didn't grow up with.

We're never going back, right?

These devices are here,
and they're here to stay.

It's really a question of

which aspects of this modern
technology are enhancing our lives,

which aspects
are actually harming us

and potentially affecting
our brains and our bodies?

I don't know about you,
but I love a tracking app. Yeah.

We 360 our kids everywhere.

All the time. Yeah.

And I want them to have a phone,

because I want them to be able
to call me in an emergency,

or vice versa.

The main consideration I have is,

how am I going to know
where Harry is?

Is he going to be safe?

Will he be waiting where
I need to pick him up

at the end of the day?

Because normally you just pick
up your phone and you call them.

So it's nice to know
that other people

have the same apprehensions
as I do.

How many of your kids, when you take
their devices away, say, "I'm bored"?

Well, I've had this,

and I said, "I don't know.
Let's get some board games out."

"Oh, that's boring."

Boredom is actually
really good for us.

You have to be able to sit
with your own feelings.

And if you can't do that,

I think you are setting up a whole
host of potential future problems.

These devices are so tempting.

Most things are boring
next to a smartphone.

What are you hoping to see happen
during this experiment?

Just to kind of get my child
back a bit,

because he's just always
got his head on YouTube.

Do you feel
like you've lost him a bit?

Yeah, because when he gets banned
from it and you take things away,

then you get your child back again.

You get that interaction.

Yeah. Yeah.

But yeah, it'll be nice
to have him back.

There must be a way where we can
have technology in our lives

without it...
Taking our kids. ..losing your kids.

Yeah. There must be. Yeah.

I hope you all get them back.

Thanks, guys. Thank you.
Have a lovely evening.

Cheers. Thanks, guys.

PHONES BUZZ, NOTIFICATION TONES

I could have stayed and talked
to them all night long.

Absolutely.

Do you know, it made me
feel quite relieved. Yeah.

You know, because we're not
the only ones. Yeah.

We all love our kids,

and we're all just trying to
do the best for our kids.

Yeah, totally.

And we've all made mistakes.

And also,
we don't have all the answers.

But the answers we do have
seem to be screaming at us.

And hopefully this experiment
will give us a lot more information.

I'm excited.

I'm excited.

Matt and I are taking part
in a smartphone ban experiment

with 12-year-old students
from the Stanway School in Essex.

I can barely work this.
Right, there we go.

It's our first evening
without our devices.

The children have been given cameras
to record personal diaries.

Why do we have to record this,
again?

Because we're keeping a diary. Why?

To monitor how you're feeling
about being without your phone.

It's like taking everything
that you find fun,

and that you do,
away from you for 21 days.

It's annoying.

It's about half-seven-ish
at the minute

and I've sort of
run out of things to do,

I feel like, at this point.

I'm already bored out of my mind.

The last resort is me having to read
a book, so that will be fun.

I haven't read an actual book in,
what, like, four months?

So, um...
DRILY: Yay!

I keep going to reach for my phone
then realise I don't have it,

but other than that,
it's going pretty well, I'd say.

So now I'm going to go to bed.

I'm sure you're supposed to use
something else but spit.

But this is working really well.

LAUGHTER

Emma and I are getting ready
for our first evening -

and red carpet event -
without a smartphone.

How are you finding it, babe?

I've had anxiety all day.

Yeah.

And all day, I feel like I
haven't breathed properly, because...

..I feel out of control of my life.

I mean, I've felt it on you, babe.

I've felt really cut off.

Yeah.

So when the kids talk about, like,
that's how they socialise...

..I kind of get what they're saying,
because I feel isolated.

I feel isolated and like I'm not
in control of my own life any more.

Phone-free NTAs? It's great.

What do you mean?
From a phone point of view?

Look at all these phones around.
I know.

You don't need one, do you?
You don't have to bring a phone.

Fingers crossed,
someone will take a picture.

We survived
our first smartphone-free night...

..but how are the kids'
boredom levels this morning?

I did miss my phone.

Did you wake up thinking
about that, Ally?

Yeah.

So how else are you going
to fill your time?

I don't know.

Maybe sit there bored stiff.

You've got a little way to go yet,
Ally, haven't you?

I might be able not to manage
the full 21 days.

What number do you want
that to say, then?

21. 21.

PRODUCER: How long do you think
you'll last?

Well, maybe a good
couple of days.

Bye. Bye.

BELL RINGS

ALEX: Dude, tuck your shirt in,
please.

Thank you.

Do you know what?
I really struggled last night.

I got to the end of the day
and I was like,

"Oh, I haven't got my phone."

So I felt a little bit lonely,
to be honest.

I do actually need these too,
so I'll take some of those.

A couple of students in my year
eight class that I've just taught

gave their phones up yesterday,
and I asked how they were coping.

Didn't want to talk about it -
it's early in the morning.

But they seem to have got
through their first night.

I wonder whether after a couple
of days and their friends

are talking about things that
they've not seen yet on TikTok...

..they might begin to notice
a bit more.

Bless them.

TikTok is the most popular social
media platform for kids in the UK

between the ages of
four and 18 years old.

On TikTok, I spend, like,
three hours a day.

I could probably be
on Snapchat and TikTok

for around seven to eight hours.

The video-sharing
social media platform is more popular

with children here
than any other part of the world,

and is typically viewed
for more than two hours a day.

This is going to be interesting.

Our kids are constantly asking
if they can have TikTok

on their devices.

"Start". "English".

VOICE-OVER: So Emma and I have been
given two brand-new phones

to conduct a mini experiment.

We'll be posing as
13-year-old first-time users

to see what content we're served.

We're also going to set these up
with brand-new email addresses.

It's just a pure clean slate.
A pure blank slate, yeah.

VOICE-OVER: Emma and I
were given expert advice

on how to conduct
this mini experiment.

So, to use TikTok,
you need to enter your birth date.

Right, so this means that they'll
see how old you are

and customise your experience based
on your age, is what they're saying.

The first video I've got is
police vans going down the street.

I've got a girl pouting
and eating strawberries.

I'm getting
lots of roller-coasters.

I've got that supermarket
one that you got. Yeah.

I'm getting so many
roller-coasters.

"Police smash front door
to arrest riot suspect."

I've got a baby.

"Rat-sized spiders".

I've got something
about best friends.

Someone making some kind of pudding.

At the minute,
I've had nothing that scares me.

I mean, I'm getting a lot of,
like, disaster videos.

It seems to be getting
more targetted.

Over the next four hours,

a producer scrolled through
both phones as a child might,

viewing and saving content,

which will have fed an algorithm
that then recommends similar videos.

Oh, my God!

The video to this is...

This is Minecraft.

This is a Minecraft video...

This is what my eight-year-old
plays. ..and a 911 recording

of a man beating his wife and
the daughter screaming for help.

And look, if you like it,
you see part two.

So you find out what happens.
Oh, my God, "Like for part two."

What are you getting?

I'm just getting girls.

"She's not herself right now.

"Her head doesn't know how to feel.

"She's reached her breaking point."

Oh, my God.

"Does anyone else understand
that there is no point in life?"

What?! This is some young girl.

"If I don't make it past 18,

"I want this song played
at my funeral."

Jesus Christ.

"If the voices win,
just know I love you."

I mean, I don't know what to think
about this.

Like, it just seems so...

..dark.

Within just four hours,

two supposed 13-year-olds
were served numerous videos

featuring suicide ideation
and extreme violence.

How is this allowed to happen?

It's just not what I thought it was.
Yeah.

I mean, I know you hear stories
about what can be found on there,

but finding and searching
for something is very different

to it being served to you
the first time you go on there

as a 13-year-old.

I mean, surely if you put in
your age at the beginning,

they should send you
age-appropriate videos? Yeah.

I'd be worried about our kids
consuming this stuff.

I mean, there's not a chance. Yeah.

Not a chance are they having it.

No.

We're three days into
the smartphone ban experiment...

Are you actually going to come
on the swing with me,

or are you just going to, like,
hit weeds?

..and despite some early wobbles,

no students have given
up on the experiment,

though they are struggling
to fill their time.

I still don't understand how
you can find this much entertainment

out of a stick.

It's quite annoying, isn't it?

When we're not playing with him,
he's just like...

And it's just repetitive as well.
Oh, it's constant!

The noise is just,
"Dum, dum, dum, dum!"

How are you feeling today?

Still a bit nervous. Are you?

It's not over yet.

We've still got
quite a few days to go.

Yeah.

How many messages do you guys
think you'll have

when you get your phones back?

I have 300 a day.

I've started reading again,
which is really nice.

I've started doing it on the bus.

And usually I'd just
sort of put my earbuds in

and have, like, some music on,

and I wouldn't really
talk to anyone,

but I'm talking to my friends
a bit more now on the bus.

We've seen and heard some
of the shocking content

our kids can access
on their smartphones,

but as parents, there's only so much
you can do to protect them.

We're off to meet Jenna, a mum
from Cornwall who has experienced

every parent's worst nightmare.

Jenna, would you tell us
about Bradley?

What was he like?

He was amazing.

I know every mum says
that about their son, but he was.

He was such a character. Yeah.

He had an amazing sense of humour.

Everybody that met him
just fell in love with him.

Was he a homebody? Yeah, absolutely.

We've got some of them.

LAUGHTER
Yeah, yeah.

You've got some photos of Bradley,
right?

Yeah. Can we have a look? Yeah.

Thanks.

Some of his many maths awards
that he got.

Oh, wow! He was so smart,
yeah, honestly.

He looks really happy.

He looks gentle.

He does.

That's the last pic I've got
of me and him.

So, that was Christmas,
and then he died in January.

So that's just, like,
three weeks before.

Wow. Wow.

# Just sing a Christmas song... #

How old was Bradley
when he got a smartphone?

Um, he was 11. Right.

I think he was in year seven. Yeah.

And he just used it
for YouTube videos,

and to do a bit of googling
and that sort of thing.

If ever he saw something
that wasn't quite right,

would he tell you?

There was a YouTube video
of a YouTuber

that had gone into an actual
Japanese suicide forest,

and it had some quite
graphic images on it.

Of actual suicides? Yeah.

So he'd seen... He'd seen that.

Woah.

After he'd seen that, did you see
a difference in him?

He was probably a bit down.

Obviously I was a bit, as a mum,
concerned.

And the night before we lost him,
he was in his room.

So I used that opportunity to kind
of talk to him and say,

"Is everything OK?"

And he talked to me quite openly
that night,

and I didn't have any concerns.

Yeah.

Jenna, would you be able to talk
to us about what you remember

of the day that Bradley died?

So, I was at work...

..and I got a text message.

And all it said was,
"Come home now. It's Brad."

I assumed that it was a message
that Brad had typed,

that his dad had said,

"Oh, text your mum, tell her that
she needs to come home now."

I didn't think anything of it.

And when I got there,
Brad's dad was in the road

and told me to get out of the road,

pull the car off the road because
the ambulance was on its way.

And I said,
"What... What do you mean?

"What's going on?"

And he said, "Brad's hung himself."

"What?" Yeah.

The first responders had got there,
so they were...

..trying to bring him back. Yeah.

But they wouldn't let me see him.

And it wasn't until I saw them

putting him
on the back of the ambulance..

..that I got to see him.

They kind of said, "We've been
trying now for over an hour.

"He's not coming back."

So they said,

"We need you to tell us
it's OK to stop trying."

You're just kind of existing...

..taking each minute as it comes,

because you just don't know
what to do with yourself.

Yeah.

My whole world had just imploded.

From when he first saw that video,

how much time passed between then
and when he passed away?

I think that video was uploaded
at the end of the year,

and Brad died on January the 10th.

Oh, my God.

I mean... So weeks.

That's weeks.

Yeah.

How do you think it escalated
so quickly

from seeing that first
video to what happened that day?

He would obsess about things.

So I think the concept of suicide

became one
of those interests for him.

At what point did you think...?

Not "think".

Realise.

At what point did you realise
that social media

might have had something to do
with what had happened to Bradley?

So, it was during the investigation,
I suppose.

The day he died,
he'd wiped his phone.

There was just one text message
he sent to a friend...

..and it said
something along the lines of,

"It looks like I'm going to get help
for my problems."

We were sort of given
bits of information

about what Brad had been accessing.

So, he'd been looking through
threads about suicide and,

you know, how to.

Mm-hm.

And talking to people
that he didn't really know,

people that would talk to
about gaming.

Yeah.

Um...

Do you know what kind
of conversations

he'd been having with them?

I think he was
talking to them about...

About his plans.

I mean, it's just horrific, isn't it?

Brad was so trustworthy.

And he loved a rule -
he didn't like to break rules.

Yeah. And, you know,

for him to access
that kind of content,

he must have realised
that wasn't a good thing.

Which must be so baffling
for you as his mum.

There's a lot of questions
I won't ever get answers to.

And he was...

He was so much more
than what he did.

So much more.

You've never spoken
about this publicly before,

so first, thank you so much.

What would you like to see change?

I just think children should have
limited access to certain things.

I don't even understand why
there are threads

discussing how to commit suicide.

Why does anyone
need to have that conversation?

Yeah. Especially a child.

Yeah.

Do you think,

if he hadn't have had that
access at his fingertips,

do you think he would still
be here today?

Yes.

Absolutely.

That was tough.

Even though you think
you're across everything, maybe,

things can still
slip through the net,

no matter how cautious you are.

I don't see any way
of dealing with this

without tougher age restrictions.

Otherwise, we're like, "Oh, well,
that's the world we live in now.

"Let's keep destroying kids."

That can't just be the excuse.

And that can't be an excuse.

It's not good enough.

As one household,
you're fighting a losing battle.

It's got to be us,
it's got to be schools,

it's got to be tech companies,
it's got to be government.

Everybody needs to play their part.

Then I'll have to do
nothing all weekend!

The kids struggle in a
smartphone-free world.

Can we just get through tonight?

Emma and I take things
to Westminster.

In the time that we're trying
to figure it out,

young people are dying.

You cannot meet those families
without being shaken to the core.

And will the kids see a difference
by the end of the experiment?

No other parent
should have to lose kids.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media