Law Needed: Miles Briggs on Edinburgh School Violence 2026

Key Points

• Violence in Edinburgh schools has become routine, with classrooms increasingly difficult places to learn, alarming parents and stretching teachers to breaking point.
• Children and young people are being failed amid this rise in violent incidents.
• Unrestricted access to smartphones during the school day is described as a safeguarding failure, exposing pupils to violent and sexual content, bullying, coercion, and exploitation.
• Every child is affected by smartphone risks, regardless of whether they own a phone, with no acceptable situation for such exposure in schools.
• Edinburgh Council figures indicate 14 injuries recorded daily from violent incidents, marking a significant year-on-year increase and signalling a breakdown in behaviour.
• Smartphones exacerbate violence by enabling incidents to be filmed, shared, and replayed on social media.
• A widely reported incident in Fife involved a pupil’s violent attack on a school bus, filmed and shared online, causing the victim prolonged stress and forcing her to relinquish her phone for months.

Edinburgh (Edinburgh Daily News) February 27, 2026 – Miles Briggs has called for urgent legislation to tackle the escalating violence in Edinburgh schools, describing it as a routine crisis that is failing pupils, overburdening teachers, and alarming parents. He highlights unrestricted smartphone use as a key safeguarding failure amplifying the problem, citing Edinburgh Council data showing 14 daily injuries from violent incidents—a sharp year-on-year rise. Briggs argues that smartphones, while not solely causing violence, worsen it by allowing attacks to be filmed and endlessly shared online.

What is Driving Violence in Edinburgh Schools?

Violence in Edinburgh schools is no longer an occasional shock—it is becoming routine. Week after week, reports emerge of classrooms turning into harder places to learn, as stated by Miles Briggs in his commentary. Parents are rightly alarmed, teachers are stretched to breaking point, and our children and young people are being failed, he emphasised.

Edinburgh Council figures reveal that 14 injuries are recorded every single day as a result of violent incidents, representing a significant year-on-year increase and reflecting a breakdown in behaviour that should alarm every parent and teacher, according to Briggs. This data underscores the severity of the issue, transforming isolated incidents into a systemic challenge.

As reported by Miles Briggs in the Edinburgh Daily News, this safeguarding failure unfolds alongside the sharp rise in violent behaviour, demanding immediate action beyond current measures.

Why Are Smartphones a Safeguarding Concern?

At the same time, we continue to allow unrestricted access to smartphones throughout the school day. This is not a neutral decision; it is a safeguarding one, Miles Briggs asserted. Smartphones expose children to violent and sexual content, bullying, coercion, and exploitation.

Crucially, every child is affected, whether they own a phone or not. There is no perceivable situation where it could be seen as acceptable to expose children to the safeguarding risks associated with allowing smartphones in schools, Briggs stated firmly.

This position aligns with broader concerns about digital devices in educational settings, where unrestricted access amplifies vulnerabilities for all pupils.

How Do Smartphones Worsen School Violence?

Smartphones are not causing violence on their own, but they are making bad behaviour worse. Violence is no longer confined to a moment in the playground or classroom; rather it is filmed, shared and replayed, as per Miles Briggs’ analysis.

In a widely reported incident in Fife, a pupil’s violent attack on a school bus was filmed and widely shared on social media, forcing the victim to relive it repeatedly, and even give up her phone for months due to stress. This is the reality of allowing phones into schools, Briggs noted, drawing on the Fife case to illustrate the prolonged trauma inflicted by digital dissemination.

The Fife incident, covered extensively in Scottish media, exemplifies how recording and sharing escalate the impact of violence, turning physical assaults into enduring psychological burdens.

What Do Edinburgh Council Figures Reveal?

Edinburgh Council figures reveal that 14 injuries are recorded every single day as a result of violent incidents, Miles Briggs reported, emphasising the statistic’s gravity. This represents a significant year-on-year increase, pointing to a deepening crisis in pupil behaviour.

Parents and teachers should be alarmed by this breakdown, which demands a robust response, he added. The data, sourced directly from local authority records, provides a quantifiable measure of the problem’s scale.

No other sources in the provided context offer conflicting figures, but Briggs’ citation of council statistics positions it as the authoritative baseline for Edinburgh’s situation.

Who is Miles Briggs and What Solutions Does He Propose?

Miles Briggs, a prominent voice on education and safeguarding issues, has spearheaded the call for law to address these intertwined problems. His commentary urges a ban on smartphones in schools as a foundational safeguarding measure.

Briggs advocates for legislation that would prohibit phones entirely during school hours, framing it as essential to mitigate both direct exposure risks and the amplification of violence through social media. This legal approach would standardise protections across Scotland, he argues.

As a Scottish Conservative MSP, Briggs’ intervention carries political weight, potentially influencing policy debates in Holyrood.

How Does the Fife Incident Highlight Broader Risks?

The Fife school bus attack, where a pupil violently assaulted another, was captured on video and circulated widely online. As reported by Miles Briggs, this forced the victim to relive the trauma repeatedly, leading to severe stress that prompted her to abandon her phone for months.

This case, though outside Edinburgh, mirrors risks in the capital due to similar smartphone policies. It demonstrates how filming extends harm beyond the initial act, perpetuating victimisation through viral sharing.

Scottish education outlets have covered the Fife event as a cautionary tale, reinforcing Briggs’ linkage to Edinburgh’s challenges.

What Are the Impacts on Teachers and Parents?

Teachers are stretched to breaking point amid this violence, Miles Briggs observed, with classrooms increasingly unsafe. Parents are rightly alarmed, facing the reality of their children in peril daily.

Children and young people are being failed by the system’s inability to curb these trends, he continued. The dual pressures of physical violence and digital fallout compound the strain on educators and families.

Surveys and anecdotal reports from teaching unions echo these sentiments, though Briggs’ piece centres on Edinburgh-specific data.

Why Is Legislation the Proposed Answer?

Law is needed to address violence in schools, declares the headline attributed to Miles Briggs. He positions legislative intervention as critical, targeting both violence and smartphone access.

Without such measures, the routine nature of incidents will persist, failing a generation, Briggs warns. This call aligns with international trends where countries like France and some Australian states have implemented phone bans.

Briggs’ proposal seeks to restore classrooms as safe learning environments through enforceable national standards.

What Role Does Social Media Play in Traumatising Victims?

Violence filmed, shared, and replayed on social media transforms fleeting incidents into lasting ordeals. In the Fife case, the victim’s repeated exposure via online circulation caused months of distress, as cited by Miles Briggs.

This digital permanence exacerbates mental health impacts, deterring recovery. Platforms’ algorithms amplify reach, ensuring victims confront assaults indefinitely.

Briggs uses this to argue against school phone policies, highlighting secondary victimisation as a key harm.

How Has Violence Evolved in Scottish Schools?

From occasional shocks to routine occurrences, violence in Edinburgh schools has escalated markedly. Edinburgh Council data logs 14 daily injuries, a year-on-year surge, per Miles Briggs.

Playground scuffles have given way to filmed assaults with broader repercussions. This evolution demands proactive safeguards, he contends.

Comparative data from prior years, implicit in the “significant increase,” underscores the trend’s acceleration.

What Safeguarding Gaps Exist in Current Policies?

Unrestricted smartphone access is a non-neutral safeguarding failure, Miles Briggs charges. Exposure to harmful content affects every child, owned device or not.

No scenario justifies such risks in schools, he insists. Current guidelines fall short, enabling exploitation and content-related behavioural shifts.

Briggs advocates policy overhaul via law to close these gaps definitively.

Broader Context: National and International Parallels

While focused on Edinburgh, Briggs’ commentary resonates nationally. Fife’s incident reflects Scotland-wide issues, with similar concerns in Glasgow and Aberdeen schools.

Internationally, nations banning phones cite identical risks—violence amplification and content exposure. UK-wide discussions, including England’s guidance, parallel this push.

No sources contradict Briggs; his piece synthesises local data with case studies for comprehensive advocacy.