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NSW students will be banned from using mobile phones when they return for the new school year.

At the end of last year, the NSW government announced a ban that would be introduced in primary schools across the state from the start of the 2019 new year. Aimed at reducing stress, bullying and the sending of explicit images, mobile phones will now be banned in primary schools for all students.

Children At Risk

The Department of Education will guide schools through the process of implementing the ban, but it’s understood that students won’t have any access to their phone during the school day. Dr Michael Carr-Gregg who led the review into mobile phone use in schools said that they posed a risk to children. “It’s all really about kids focusing on lessons, better socialising, reducing social media use, and reducing online bullying and online image abuse,” he said. “I’m really worried about the stress a lot of these kids are already under…all schools have a duty of care to provide students with a safe environment in which to learn.” Dr Carr-Gregg also recommended that for primary aged children, parents should consider a phone without a camera or internet access.

Strategies In Place

High schools will have the option to opt in or out of the ban, but Dr Carr-Gregg believes that it should be implemented for students in Years 7-10, and those in Years 11-12 should have limited access. Rob Stokes, Member for Education, acknowledged that phones could be a distraction but said they also offer many benefits. “Sometimes mobile phones can be useful in a secondary school context where they can be used to augment learning activities,” he said. “But they can also be dangerous and be a distraction.”

We all know that mobile phones are an incredible resource for communicating with children and giving parents peace of mind, but at what point do we need these kinds of bans to stop them interfering with learning?

Do you think mobile phones should be banned in primary schools? Let us know in the comments!

 

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  • All schools should have bans in place. Phones should be handed in at the office on arrival and collected at the end of the school day.

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  • I fully agree with the bans. Kids don’t need to be using mobiles during school hours

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  • Yes, there’s no need for primary school children to have a mobile phone on them during school time. If they have to take one to school, it should be handed into the front office before school starts and picked up at the end of the day. Good luck policing this tho, mobiles were an issue when my kids were at school years ago

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  • Some schools have already banned mobile phones. I know on child who has one for emergencies only – to contact her parents after school if she needs to for any reason. It has her name on it. It is locked in such a way she can only call or text her parents and she can only receive calls from them. She hands in at the school office when she arrives at school and collects it at the end of the school day. She was 11 y.o. when she was given it as part of her Christmas present. It is a basic phone – not a smart phone or an iphone.

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  • Absolutely and totally. My son has just completed Year 12 and I have seen the erosion of learning with the increased use of mobile phones in classroom. I have seen it first hand and there is a serious problem — in secondary school. I cannot believe it is even a talking point for Primary School. Why are they even allowed there?

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  • Yes I totally agree with the ban. Schools are for learning.

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  • I do agree with the ban,no need to use them during school hours!

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  • Great idea. None of my kids have mobile phones. My daughter is in year 8 in High School and is the only kid in her year level without a mobile phone! (and it’s a public school, I’m so surprised)

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  • Mobile phones should be banned during school hours, we survived okay without phones so don’t see why kids should have them at school or even at all.

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  • Fully agree with this ban. Mobiles should only be for an emergency and that doesn’t happen during school time.

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  • I can understand this and support it

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  • I like the idea of “dumb” phones – they seem a good compromise.

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  • School time is for learning and not for mobile phones.

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  • Yes I agree!
    Why do kids need phones, if they do, they should only be allowed at the end of the school day.


    • I agree – children do not need distractions.

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  • Mobile phones really do not have a place in classrooms. I can see the safety factor in going to or from school but in class they should be put away. My older children were in high school when they were using them and it was not a problem as no internet on phones then. My oldest daughter is in her teens and does have phone with her but is restricted in what she can do. My youngest ones are yr 1 this year so do not see any reason why they should need a phone at school.

    Reply

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