A survey of South African parents has found that 91% support tighter controls on children’s phone use during the school day, adding momentum to a national debate that has already seen several schools restrict smartphones on campus. The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has confirmed that decisions on cellphone use in classrooms rest with individual school management teams, provided policies are developed with input from all stakeholders.
The Karri app survey, conducted in March and April 2026 and published on 27 August 2026 by TechFinancials, polled parents across the country on their attitudes toward phone access at school. According to the 2026 Karri Parent Survey Report, 54% of parents believe phones should be allowed at school but locked away during the day, while 37% support an outright ban. Only 7% backed unrestricted access.
Unathi Booi, WCED spokesperson, told the Cape Argus on 21 December 2025 that restricting personal cellphones does not mean abandoning educational technology. “A ban on cellphones does not mean a ban on technology altogether,” Booi said. “Cellular phones and mobile devices have to be managed in an educationally sound manner and every school should have in place a policy on the use of cellular phones and mobile devices with the input from all stakeholders.”
In KwaZulu-Natal, Carter High School in Pietermaritzburg instituted a smartphone ban in 2025, allowing only feature phones on school grounds. Johan De Goede, Pupil Affairs Officer at Carter High, told The Witness on 26 November 2025 that the school had observed a direct link between phones and pupil stress. “Overall, we found that the presence of cellphones on school grounds led to a noticeable increase in pupil anxiety,” De Goede said.
Maritzburg College has taken a graduated approach, enforcing smartphone restrictions for Grades 8, 9 and 10 while allowing strictly managed smartphone use for Grades 11 and 12. Principal Alan Redfern told The Witness on 14 February 2026 that the school had seen genuine improvements in pupil wellbeing since implementing the policy. “Without constant notifications or the pressure of online communication, the boys appear noticeably less anxious, both in class and around the campus,” Redfern said. “These genuine social connections are a significant positive outcome.”
The Karri survey also found that 74% of parents believe children should only access social media from the age of 16 or older. Nastassja Janse van Rensburg, Head of Marketing at Karri, said the findings reflected a practical concern among parents rather than opposition to technology itself. “Parents are not saying children should have no access to technology,” she told TechFinancials. “What we are seeing is a strong call for clearer boundaries, especially during the school day and around social media. The findings point to a very practical concern: parents want children to be connected but not distracted, exposed or financially vulnerable.”
For schools across the Cape Flats and the wider Western Cape, the WCED’s position means that principals and school governing bodies will continue to set their own policies. Schools that have implemented restrictions nationally report improved pupil interaction, better classroom focus, and a decrease in disciplinary issues related to device misuse, though some pupils note that phones remain necessary for after-school logistics such as arranging transport.
What remains unclear is whether the Western Cape will introduce provincial-level guidance beyond the current framework. Cape Flats News journalist Nadia Jacobs will follow up with the WCED on whether any new directives are planned for the 2027 school year and will check back once the department responds.