General Chat

I was listening to a discussion about banning mobile phones in school. In Secondary schools, children are permitted to have their mobile phone with them in the classroom, playground etc.

Much bullying takes place in the playground with kids messaging others and also sharing pictures too some of which are in appropriate. It was discussed that children need their phones in the classroom to look up things related to the lesson!

But given that classroom have netbooks/laptops for children to use for different subjects, I disagree that they should be using their phone during lesson time.

The phones distract, ringtones distract from the lesson and children texting each other shouldn't be allowed.

When I worked in various primary settings, any child that brought a mobile to school because maybe they were going to town after school and had their mobile to be in contact with their parents whilst travelling on the bus, had to hand their phone in to the class teacher and they got it back at the end of the school day.

Also, staff had no access to a WIFI code so if on my break, I wanted to check my emails, I would have to use my own mobile data to have internet access.

The schools computers were restricted with internet access particularly to sites like U tube /Tic Toc etc. If a pupil tried to access these sites, it would say access denied. So plenty filters there to protect children from accessing inappropriate sites and images.

So in Secondary schools in order to access the internet from pupils phones, they would have to use their own mobile data which for most would be say 7gb a month. I'm sure that most can't afford to have unlimited access?

I know if would be impossible to inforce a ban in Secondary schools but surely at the beg of each lesson, the class teacher has the authority to make every pupil switch off their phones? It isn't a pupils right to have access to a mobile 24/7 is it?

One comment was that they need their phone to access the homework app but this should be done at home, that's where homework is done!

I believe that a crackdown on using mobile phones during school time would cut down on bullying and may get children actually talking to each other instead of just staring at a screen messaging someone 5 feet away!

Florence in the hebrides

Most of the schools in our area have bans in place already. My Grandaughters are not allowed to have their phones out of their lockers until the end of the school day.

They should be banned or switched off in a lot of places - pub quizzes for starters LOL

That's Interesting LaGooner. Is she in Secondary or Primary school?

The older pupils here say "Its their right" and nothing much is done to over rule it.
Is it enforceable though?

Many children use to quote their rights at me frequently when they disagreed with being asked to do something. I went to Uni and new all the 53 articles on Children's' Rights but it surprised me how many 8-10 yr olds knew their rights too!

In Scotland, it's not enforceable by law to make children wear school uniform! The school can only request the child to wear it and list the benefits but they cannot make them wear it.

But when I was at school in England, it was the law and we had to wear uniform and we didn't dare go against it.

Part of the problem with banning mobile phones in school would be the parents that think their children should have them in school and that's where half the problems lay sadly...with some of the parents.

No wonder the worlds gone mad if children are ruling the roost.
As I have posted though - mobile phones should be switched off in social settings! :-|

I agree island. If you are as you said in a pub quiz, then common sense should prevail and phones either switched off or on silent. The same at weddings and funerals! I was at a funeral once, where some ones phone went off in the middle of the service.. was disgusting and others made their disgust known to the person.

They are both at Upper School. We have the 3 tier system here in Bedfordshire which is Lower (Infant and Junior. Middle are 9- 13 year olds (phones for them also banned) and Upper are 13 upwards.This is being phased out slowly thank goodness.Our schools also have to wear school uniform until they are in sixth form as was with no exceptions