No phone for secondary school

Agree with you op.

I feel that the main reason most parents give phones to their kids is because everyone else does it.

Really worried about getting to tween years with my kids. Mental health and all that.

One of the main reasons I restrict tech is opportunity cost. I don’t think TV is bad per se, but it is basically a waste of time. My kids are not allowed tv (unless they are sick or watching big sporting events like the Olympics, Wimbledon- not sure why we make that exception but there you go). As a result they spend many hours reading, playing etc. I consider these a much better use of time and I want them to learn not to waste their precious lives so that habit stays with them. Phones/computers can be very useful but I think for most people the time spent on them is 10% useful 90% pointless arguing on mumsnet time wasting. So we are not doing smartphones until absolutely essential, hopefully aged 14. Even then they will be heavily restricted.

I had a phone in secondary from year 8. I’m 37 now. It was a Nokia 3210 with snake on and I spent £5 a week for credit to text my mates.

My point is this is nothing new, decent phones are just way cheaper.

Tech isn’t going anywhere. Embrace it. I now work in cyber security in human behavioural machine learning. Having a phone early did not turn me into a zombie.

Tech is the future yet so many people treat it like it’s the devil due to lack of their own skills and knowledge.

What is your actual concern exactly?

My two high schoolers both have smart phones, as they need to have all the school apps to access homework, timetables etc…. I wanted them to have smartphones though because their high school is a 40 minute walk away, so I can look on the map to see where they are and make sure they are walking a safe route home from school, we live in an area with terrible phone reception so if they need to ring me at least they can use WhatsApp.

@Shrodingershousemove check this out smartphonefreechildhood.co.uk

They don’t need a smartphone for school (although I note from above some schools offer they can bring them into a lesson), some parents will like to be able to track them walking home. Kids get distracted and I have seen a few walk out in front of my car, I’ve slammed my brakes and they haven’t even looked up.
They may feel social pressure to have one, they are also a large part of life in general and I see a fair few adults staring into them at any given moment.

My son is yr 7 and has been asked and emailed multiple times by the school about taking his phone into lesson as they will be using them for a quiz /all logging into something/setting something up etc.

Homework is not given in class and has to be accessed via an app. Can be done online but all homework is done and set online via apps

My son actually hates his phone and often forgets to even turn it on but the school do ask them to take them in for various reasons etc. There just aren't the options to 'write It down in class' etc for homework. It's often not even set by the teacher they even have for that subject

School is a very different place to what it was in the 90s when I was there (with my mobile!!)

some schools actually have them use them for part of their work in class and its just safer to see where they are with tracking on there, its not the 1980s and maybe you don't remember but how many kids and adults just disappeared back then.

I use my phone for so much, it’s pretty much a necessity to daily life. If we want children to learn to function in society they need to learn how to use a a smartphone

The reality of it is that you just have to mind them. It's one more head wreck that wasn't there when we were young. But it's here now and it's going nowhere. So better to get copped on to it imo

Let me know how that goes for you 😂😂😂

My teenager keeps her phone better than I do 🤣

Seem to be a lot of people with unreasonable expectations of children here. They don’t need smartphones, but would you be without yours? Seems double standards really.

I also suspect the ones saying “they don’t need one” possibly only have young/no children. A great way to isolate your teenager is to not let them have a smartphone. Everything is organised via WhatsApp/Instagram etc - even the school student leadership team have a chat group on their phones to organise who is doing what for fundraising etc.

Everyone saying having a phone is antisocial, this is not our experience. It has allowed my teen to organise her social life.

That's just daft really, especially given the state of them after just a few months.

Not even that much if it's a passed down phone, or a refurb /older model/ android one. Then pay as you go sims vary, cheapest we found was £6 a month for unlimited calls ,texts and 4GB of data. Low data also helps to control usage.

Just a basic laptop (odds of it lasting and coping with all the apps and websites are low ) is at least £200 , a basic desktop more. Then you need to pay for all the stuff to make it functional like office (there are workarounds), then security stuff/antivirus and being tech savvy enough to sort it all out.

Then add the ipad, the music stuff, printer etc... and we're talking quite a lot of money and devices . Never mind the money, some people don't even have the space for all that. Add in extra kids that all need to do homework and it's even more money , arguments/stress.

Can't blame people for taking the easy(practical and financially valid) way out.

Mine have had smartphones since Year 5 due to a weekend hobby where they sometimes needed to get hold of me. As a result, they're sensible with them, don't have social media and aren't interested.

In their secondary, they use phones all the time in class, for photos of work, QR codes, AR etc.

I'm a teacher and I use them to check knowledge. My pupils can connect to me with their phones and I can send out class questions which they answer via their phone. It then displays various charts on the smart board to show what percentage of the class was right or wrong. They absolutely love it, and it's anonymous to them, so no laughing at each other for getting an answer wrong, and no picking on children who don't enjoy speaking up. I can see who pressed what, and who needs extra support.

There are so many benefits to tech in education.

What gets me are those kids who bring a more modern phone to school than mine - iPhone 14

Comments like these are tone deaf!

Eh no, the prices are no where near compatible. Smart phone PAYG smartphone €60 with €10 per month data and call package. So c. €180 over a year.

Basic PC €400, broadband €40+ a month depending on region. Add in all security applications etc that tend to be significantly cheaper on phones.So 880 +.

That is massive difference.

Isn't it likely that a lot of kids that age inherit their parents or older sibling cast-off old smartphones, because overall, that's what the adult population tends to use? Hence why people reach for the old tech drawer?

With the appropriate controls and conversations - isn't it better to learn how to use tech safely. I get you need to be "on it" as a parent, but you'd need to be "on it" anyway because they are tweens/teens and generally will have to navigate life's complexities.

I dont really think 12+ year old are 'playing outside'. Also , this only works if no one else has a phone and unfortunately they do so its more.... standing alone outside?

I think they do both on the walk/train/bus home - chat, talk, mess about and play online games with each other or others and go on snapchat. That's my experience anyway, and it didn't kick in until year 8/9 as I wouldn't let them have snapshcat until they were 13.

The problem of course is if/when it stops being good-natured and there's nasty words said or a fallout. My only solution has been to step in when that happens and make them leave their phones downstaors in the evening so they get a break.

Sadly most children do have them so your vision of her walking home chatting is probably not going to happen. It would be nice if that was to happen but it just doesn’t and then you end up caving as they are the only ones that do not have smart phones

I’m not sure how that is managed as it’s not something I have ever come across, but we do have a ban here, in all schools. Schools differ in how they have implemented it. Some have put in special lockers. Some just say they need to be off and out of sight in the bag.

But one child needing a device for specific medical reasons doesn’t mean they can’t be banned or that every child should be allowed one - it just means this child would have an exception, like some children have a medical need to be allowed out to the toilet at any time, or to exit the classroom during episodes of sensory overload, for example.

Absolutely! I wonder if you’ve heard of the 1000 hours outside challenge? I never manage to actually persist with tracking our hours but I like to follow along with the podcast and the FB group for inspiration and encouragement.

https://www.1000hoursoutside.com/

Sure, in the overall scheme of things a small number. I think 32,000 children in the UK have Type 1 diabetes and not all of them – or even the majority, currently – use this tech to manage their condition. But that number will increase.

And what happens if another DC grabs said phone and misuses it? Even then you can't punish the child with the medical condition by removing their phone.

All I'm saying is that schools will need a more subtle, nuanced approach than a total ban on smartphones, or removal as a punishment for misuse.