No phone for secondary school

All dcs homework is on an app on phone
Sometimes they have free time at the end of a lesson of class work is complete and they use the time to log on to get a headstart on homework.
Or during wet lunchtimes they often do.

No, you're right. They may need a non smartphone for safety if walking to/from school or home alone. And that's it.
Do you want your yr 6/7 child and up to be freely able to access pyrography?
They can access the Web and apps at home, under supervision and monitoring.

I'm in two minds. My son was the last one to get a mobile in y6, walked home fine without one. He was getting one anyway for his birthday but then he was diagnosed with a medical condition and needed one as medical device to assist with keeping him alive so I appreciate his use is not typical (and I had to get him a much better smartphone than I had planned). Now in high school, he needs it for actually getting on the bus after school (mobile tickets), checking his bank balance as he now goes to shops on his own etc... which he would need regardless of medical needs. A basic phone would not cut it for this modern world. Anyway, I ended up buying his sister a smart phone last year when she was 9! Never thought I'd do that but I got fed up of her always being on video calls to her friends on my phone. She also uses it for managing her bank account, playing games & video calling friends etc... so far, neither child is fussed on social media (beyond WhatsApp) and I am dreading the day they are.

Everyone here talking about the dangers of mobile phones has been scrolling MN on their smartphone for hours 🤣

my DS’s had smartphones at secondary, they had their Revolut cards on them, bus passes, and it was invaluable when one of them got on a bus in the wrong side of the road and I had to help him navigate his way home! Also DS2 has adhd and is a detour risk in his way home - a smart phone helps stop him being quite so impulsive!

My son got a smartphone for secondary. They are not allowed to use them in the day, unless to call home, with permission, in front of a staff member. The school have apps for everything including timetables and homework. All his homework is done and downloaded via his phone. There isn't an alternative to this.

My son is a type 1 diabetic and needs a phone to monitor his blood sugar and send alerts.
My daughter is autistic and uses headphones with music on her phone to shut out external stimulation.
You do you, its none of your business what everyone else does.

I've got a 16 year old and 19 year old. Both had phones at the end of Year 6 in preparation for secondary.
They were allowed at school but had to stay in bags. Year 9 + could have them at break times. Teachers often used their phones as "Buzzers" in lessons for Cahoot quizzes. Used as a translator in language classes. Pictures of art work, food etcTimetables on them. School email on them. Homework on them.

Someone said about diaries or paper timetables. Ultimately it is COST. Cheaper for schools to have an app and quicker to fix if their is an error. All through secondary school they have not had a single physical textbook all online- again cheaper!
Once children are at school they don't even have to pay for Microsoft applications as each school will have a unique free code.
Also on a smartphone you can put better parental controls and have software where you can read everything on their phone. As for SM the kids don't use FB it's Snapchat, Instagram or Tik tok. Regardless of a smartphone of they have any tech they can access it.

Our school doesn’t allow phones to be used on school premises - although strangely when my DD went to the office to sign out when I had to take her to the dentist they asked her to ring me and hand them her phone so I could verify I was genuinely a parent collecting her. Not sure how that works. They’d be better off calling the number they have for me but that’s besides the point. They appreciate kids need them and they are allowed them for journey but most keep them off and in bags. If phones are seen out in school they are confiscated and parents have to collect at the end of the day. But some teachers do allow them out for certain reasons such as photographing homework off the board or my DD was allows to photograph her test score to show me at home. So I guess bad behaviour around phones is really what is punished.

They do however require all children to have a Chromebook. Those on free school meals are given one for free but everyone else is expected to buy one. Either outright or over a 2 year payment plan. All their work is done on the Chromebooks. Even if they’re writing in exercise books they will need to access the Chromebook for resources. However all the apps on Google are also available on homes so my daughter does often check her emails and timetable on her phone and sometimes at home prefers to complete something on her phone that getting her Chromebook out. But phones aren’t needed really.

However, if you don’t allow your child a phone with access to at least what’s app then you are socially excluding them from an entire peer group. They communicate a lot by smart phone. Organise meet ups, discuss homework on video call etc. My eldest is autistic and doesn’t really like communicating with people outside of school so she deletes herself from alot of groups she gets added to. But she does have one or two close friends who she messages. It keeps her on the loop. And a few of her out of school activities also have group chats for older teens - rangers, stageschool etc. Since she’s joined rangers I’ve moved that the leader likes to send reminders direct to the girls - parents are also in the group but saves them remembering to pass things on and keeps parents in the loop too. But they are 14+.

My youngest also does out of school activities with girls she doesn’t go to school with and who she only sees an hour a week but they’ve really bonded more since they formed a group chat. They’re all 11 (y6&y7) but it’s been lovely seeing how their friendships have blossomed more than just an hour a week.

There are lots of down sides to smart phones but I think the way society has gone it can be really hard to deny them access to it. It meds to be supervised. I check phones. We’ve had lots of conversations about what’s appropriate and what’s not and what to do if inappropriate things appear. Mine are very good and coming straight down to show me of any messages come through that are offensive/bullying and know how to repeat things too.

Mine also live between my home and their dad’s so it means we always have an open line of communication. They track me and I track them. They can call me when they want to. Know what to do in an emergency.

My children got them at the end of yr 4, so aged 9. So they could keep mine touch with their friends over the summer, but also from yr 5 they were able to leave school without an adult so my children started walking part way home in yr 5. It was needed for emergencies. My eldest is nearly 15 and still doesn't have any social media, not even snap chat which I believe is a popular one amongst children. I don't think their needed or healthy for children, but if she asked for them now I would probably allow it

I don't know why the parents feel the need to share. My son took his number in on a few post its and handed it to his friends who already had phones. We were one of the last ones to get them too!

No phones permitted at our secondary school. Lots of complaining from pupils and parents, but personally I support the policy.

Children caught with a phone in school receive an automatic after-school detention and a parent is required to collect the confiscated phone.

The only exceptions are diabetic children using an app to manage their medication and those with after-school sports fixtures (who must hand their phone in during the school day).

My son is 14 and has a mobile phone which he takes to and from school.
His train tickets are on his phone and with me using ‘find my iPhone’ I can see exactly where he is incase a train is late or cancelled so I don’t have to worry.
He doesn’t walk or travel with other children either.
Each child and family will have their own circumstances as to why they’ll have one for travelling to and from school, please don’t judge!

Smartphones are not synonymous with social media... My 11yo is in a trio WhatsApp group with his 2 besties, our family WhatsApp group and spends most of his phone time playing Geometry Dash, Angry Birds or Pokémon... I don't understand the outrage?

He uses a school ipad, he really shouldn't have to do that himself.

Just block receiving air drops!

My year 7 daughter has a phone as did her sister way before covid. Her school has a BAN on phone im school and do bag checks etc so no kids take their phones to school (which I have often wanted her to at least have it in her bag in case of any issues on the walk to/from school - but that’s just me worrying as she has so far been fine).

She isn’t on any social media and I can check (and do check whenever I want - part of the agreement to her having one). She has my old iPhone (12 I think) and a sim only contract.

you say the don’t need one and whilst I agree somewhat in theory, they do need them it’s their way of life. My daughter and her friends have WhatsApp groups, they arrange meeting up and going out. They talk to each other frequently, it’s been a great way for her to get to know new girls she has met at school too.

its not just using social media to be social. The girls her age make videos on them and whilst I may have performed dances for my parents her friends create videos for me to watch and I love it. I love the pictures they take of each other and I actually think having a phone is not a big deal in 2024. It is very much a way of life.

i would suggest imo learning to embrace it as part and parcel of her way of socialising as a way for you as a parent to be part of that.

and as a secondary notion as she will be spending time at home alone more and then starting to go off and do more things without me, I actually prefer her to have her phone incase she needs me, and so I can see where she is (if I need to).

I think I remember reading that thread, though didn't comment because the level of thickness and prejudice coming from some posters was just gobsmacking!

People really can be utterly stupid. Of course type one diabetics need to be in school, and need to monitor their blood sugar. Before smartphones they had to take the time during the day to do the fingerprick tests. I remember a couple in our year. Then they might either have to eat something or inject insulin, all done in school.

Smartphones and insulin pumps that work via Bluetooth have, I am told, really helped with the management of type 1 diabetes for many sufferers. I know a couple who have found them a real game changer. Why do a (thankfully small) number of people think that diabetic children should not benefit because it could be disruptive to the school day and involves the use of a smartphone? Bonkers! Diabetes management has always had to be incorporated into the school day for those affected. Since forever. Smartphones are now a useful tool in that.

I'm a type 2 diabetic myself so don't have to inject insulin currently. Hopefully I don't get to the point of having to, but if it should happen then I would take the smartphone option in a heartbeat.

Of course phones are allowed in these circumstances. Phone are banned at my school but a girl in my form with diabetes has one. This has no bearing on the general phone ban and all the other students understand that

Last time this was discussed on here, one poster considered a type 1 child must be able to go the full day without checking their blood or they shouldn’t be in school; someone else insisted there must be alternatives to phones because what people do before phones; yet another considered there was no medical condition they knew of that needed monitoring with a phone and someone else thought that type 1 children and young people shouldn’t use the latest technology available to them if it meant they had to have a phone in school.

There is huge ignorance and as both a teacher and parent of a type 1, I take sod all for granted.

The reality is you won't know the parents to contact. Secondary school friendships don't incorporate parents, and teens are not likely to give a 'rent a number. There is no village.

@MsGoodenough yes but you're using your commonsense and take it from a parent of DCs with T1 diabetes – it isn't as common as you might like to think!

On these threads you get people talking about 'complete bans' and even, on occasion 'no exceptions to that'. Which is rubbish because there will always be some exceptions.

@Topseyt123 I guess maybe then just use books and other resources?
Why do they need personal mobile phones?
If lessons demand it then fine but otherwise it's just distracting.

the school use google classroom but everything else is an app. The homework one notifies you when some is set, one teacher likes to set it at about 7 at night for the next day, which means you’d have to constantly be checking the website.

Sparx, Hegarty, Google Classroom, MyMaths, Memrise etc are all websites so don't need to be accessed via phones.

Of course phones are allowed in these circumstances. Phone are banned at my school but a girl in my form with diabetes has one. This has no bearing on the general phone ban and all the other students understand that.

Overall though phones are terrible for young people's mental health:

https://www.afterbabel.com/p/phone-based-childhood-cause-epidemic?r=2ep2jz&utm_medium=ios&triedRedirect=true

Reddit is probably more “dangerous” than WhatsApp. I can go on there and find porn with some random to share and chat to with one word like boobs. WhatsApp is their friends or school mates untill they expand their circles.

It’s a bit like people who think minecraft is safer than Fortnite. If your letting your kids play with randoms Minecraft is more likely to be a pedo ground than Fortnite random matches.

This was in response to and agreeing with the one not much further up ⬆️ lack of smart phone won’t stop bullies or porn or any such stuff.