Smartphone 'zombies': Children urged to look up from their phones in road safety campaign

• Shocking new statistics show that more than 4,500 child pedestrians were injured on roads last year
• A third of road crossings made by secondary school pupils involved a mobile phone or other device
• A campaign has been launched to remind children to put away their phones when crossing roads
• Parents and schools are urged to deliver the message during the awareness month

Children are being urged to look up from their phones as they cross the road - as startling statistics show 26 child pedestrians are killed or seriously injured every week in the UK. 

First News, an award-winning newspaper for young people, is relaunching its annual First News Look Up! campaign for the month of September.

New Government figures show that in the UK, 4,577 pedestrians aged 15 and under were injured on roads in 2023, with 1,340 of them either killed or left with life-changing injuries. 

The largest number of child pedestrian injuries took place between 8am and 9am and between 3pm and 7pm – the time that children are making their way to, or home from, school.

And research from the University of Lincoln shows a third of road crossings made by secondary school pupils involved a mobile phone or other device. 

Children are disproportionately impacted by mobile phone distractions, earning them the label smartphone zombies or ‘smombies’, First News said. 

The newspaper’s editor-in-chief, Nicky Cox MBE, warned: “While parents and teachers are rightly worried about their children’s safety at school because of RACC, First News is also worried about their safety getting to school in the first place. 

“The number of child pedestrians who are killed or seriously injured every week is shocking – a class full of 26 children. Numerous studies have shown that pedestrian mobile phone distraction is a major cause of road accidents. 

“That’s why First News’ Look Up! month is reminding children to put away their phones when crossing roads.”

First News has created a free assembly pack and is calling on all schools to hold an assembly about the issue during Look Up! month.

The real dangers 

A study by the University of Lincoln found that nearly a third of road crossings made by  secondary school pupils involved a phone or other device and that the students looked left  and right less frequently because of this. 

While almost a third of Brits admitted to using their phone when crossing the road in 2021, research carried out by AXA insurance company found that 21% of 11-year-olds and 25% of 12-year-olds say that they have been distracted by a screen while crossing a road.

Researchers at the University of Calgary pulled together data from 33 studies and looked at the impact of phones on road safety. While talking on the phone made people take longer to cross the road, texting was the most dangerous action as it stopped people looking left and right as much as they should.

First News is highlighting the case of Sian Ellis, a 15-year-old schoolgirl who lost her life while distracted by her mobile phone.

Sian was struck by a double-decker bus just metres from her school gates in Leicestershire in 2019. 

Witness accounts and CCTV footage showed her looking down at her phone while wearing  headphones, leading to the fatal accident.

Her devastated family are now calling on young people and adults alike to learn from the tragedy and to exercise caution near traffic.  

Look Up! resources are free for every school in the UK 

First News has created a comprehensive assembly pack that is available to all schools free of charge. 

This pack includes informative materials and a video  presentation to help educators deliver impactful messages about road safety and the dangers of  mobile phone distractions.  

Teachers can access the assembly pack by visiting first.news/lookupteachers. The pack includes an activity for children to design road safety posters for their schools. Designs can be submitted to [email protected], with the chance to feature in the paper.