Eton College's New Phone Rules: What Parents Can Copy at Home
Eton swapped smartphones for Nokia phones and set a 9pm device curfew. Here's how UK parents can copy the same rules at home, for less than a coffee a month.
In 2026 Eton College tightened its digital rules for its youngest pupils. First-years use basic Nokia phones instead of smartphones, school iPads are handed in by 9pm, apps are locked down and a safe browser limited to teacher-approved websites was scheduled for October. Few families can afford Eton fees, but every family can copy the thinking behind these rules at home.
What Eton changed, and when
- 2024: Nokia phones for first-years. Smartphones banned for F Block pupils (around age 13); school iPads stay for learning.
- July 2025: a full device strategy. A letter to parents set out a dedicated Eton-Learning Wi-Fi, Arista network filtering, Apple Classroom, restricted apps, off-site filtering and fixed access windows.
- July 2026: tighter rules announced. New pupils would start with only selected Microsoft 365 apps.
- September 2026: stricter rules in place. Narrower app access, teacher-controlled apps and iPads handed in by 9pm every night, including Saturdays.
- October 2026: approved websites only. A safe browser limited to teacher-approved sites was due to roll out.
These rules come from Eton's 2025 parent letter, its September 2026 safeguarding policy and reporting by The Telegraph and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. The newest rules apply mainly to the youngest year group, not every pupil.
The technology Eton uses
- Arista Networks filters and monitors school Wi-Fi.
- Apple Classroom lets teachers keep pupils inside one app during lessons.
- Apple device management controls which iPad apps pupils can open.
- Microsoft 365 provides the approved school apps.
- An unnamed filtering agent covers school iPads away from Eton.
- CPOMS records and escalates safeguarding concerns.
- South West Grid for Learning / TestFiltering.com independently checks the filtering works.
That is an enterprise setup, run by IT staff and a safeguarding team. And Eton's own September 2026 policy admits a gap: it cannot fully filter or monitor personal devices outside the school network. Evenings, weekends and holidays are where parents take over.
The three ideas behind the rules
1. Sleep comes first
The 9pm hand-in is the simplest rule and probably the most powerful. Phones in bedrooms cut into sleep, and tired children find everything harder the next day.
2. Focus time means one job on the screen
Locking a device to the lesson app removes the pull of games and chats. The device still works, it just does one thing for a while.
3. Freedom grows step by step
A basic phone first, a smartphone later. Eton treats independence as something children earn, not something they get on day one. Our guide to smartphones vs. dumbphones looks at this choice in more detail.
Eton vs. Young Minds App, side by side
| What it does | Eton College | Young Minds App |
|---|---|---|
| Blocks harmful websites | School network filtering | Content filtering on the child's device |
| Controls which apps work | School-managed iPads | App limits and blocks from the parent app |
| Distraction-free study time | Apple Classroom app lock | Study Mode: only study apps and websites |
| Night-time boundary | iPads handed in by 9pm | Bedtime locks the device, apart from always-allowed apps |
| Protection away from school | Limited; policy admits personal devices are a gap | Works at home, on holiday, on any network |
| Parents set the rules | No, the school does | Yes, from your own phone |
| Screen-time reports for parents | Not documented | Usage reports in the parent app |
| Online safety lessons | PSHEE lessons and talks | Short lessons from Protego and Glitch |
| Advice on any app or site | General digital literacy | Ask Protego red/amber/green ratings for parents |
| Location tracking | Not part of the programme | Location tracking in the parent app |
| iPhone and Android | School iPads only | Both |
One honest note: a parental control app does not replace a school safeguarding team. What it does is give you the same everyday boundaries on the device your child actually uses at home.
Recommend us to your school
School rules and home rules work best together. If you like what you read here, put us in touch with your child's school: heads and IT leads can email info@youngmindsapp.co.uk and we'll show them how the same boundaries work for whole classes.
The same idea, for the price of a coffee
Schools spend serious money on filtering systems and device management. Young Minds App gives your family the core of the same approach for £3.33 a month on the yearly Individual plan, less than one coffee. The Family plan covers up to five children for £5 a month on the yearly plan. Both start with a 7-day free trial.
Start tonight
- Download the Young Minds parent app.
- Set Bedtime for 9pm, just like Eton.
- Turn on Study Mode for homework hours.
Download on the App Store · Get it on Google Play
Not sure which settings suit your child? Our free setup finder builds a plan in under a minute. And if a first phone is coming soon, read 5 signs your child is ready for a phone.