Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder what the ban on smartphones across 17 schools in South London will acheive.

243 replies

ThatMother2024 · 06/06/2024 21:07

The Guardian reports that 17 schools are uniting to ban smartphones. I have no idea what this is expected to acheive, what the evidence base is and whether kids will just devise some easy workaround.

OP posts:
N4ish · 06/06/2024 21:56

Quornflakegirl · 06/06/2024 21:37

I have made the decision not to get my dtwins smartphones when they start secondary school in September. I wish this was more common among their peers as I know they are going to stand out. I would absolutely support a ban on iPhones at school.

Look at Smartphone Free childhood to see if there’s a parents group for your school. Almost every school near me now has a group and it means there’s a growing cohort of parents agreeing to delay smartphone use and strength in numbers.

Original poster
ThatMother2024 · 06/06/2024 21:54

Spirallingdownwards · 06/06/2024 21:19

Less being distracted in class when they sneakily look at them.

Less cyber bullying by taking photos during class/school hours.

The inability to film the ones they are bullying.

The inability to film teachers and post inappropriately.

The inability to google answers or use AI to do their set classwork.

I could go on.

I am more mystified that you genuinely could not think of any reasons.

Do they do this? Is their evidence that they do this? I don’t work in a secondary school. I have never seen stats or data on this.

OP posts:
N4ish · 06/06/2024 21:54

noblegiraffe · 06/06/2024 21:20

Most schools have banned smartphones?

Only in theory. In practice kids use them all the time in schools as it’s impossible to monitor. I think a full ban during the school day is a brilliant idea.

indianwoman · 06/06/2024 21:52

Digimoor · 06/06/2024 21:47

I think it's a rubbish idea - children need to learn to manage their smartphone use

But not in school time! It should be off and that's it. The amount of trouble caused and exacerbated by phones in schools is enormous.

Digimoor · 06/06/2024 21:47

I think it's a rubbish idea - children need to learn to manage their smartphone use

AussiUnHomme · 06/06/2024 21:43

ThatMother2024 · 06/06/2024 21:07

The Guardian reports that 17 schools are uniting to ban smartphones. I have no idea what this is expected to acheive, what the evidence base is and whether kids will just devise some easy workaround.

I reckon they will learn how to spell achieve.

Quornflakegirl · 06/06/2024 21:37

I have made the decision not to get my dtwins smartphones when they start secondary school in September. I wish this was more common among their peers as I know they are going to stand out. I would absolutely support a ban on iPhones at school.

YellowCloud · 06/06/2024 21:28

Wrenford · 06/06/2024 21:27

I've just finished reading The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. An evidence-based analysis of the devastating consequences of current smartphone usage in teens. Would recommend every parent reads it. But schools banning smartphones is surely a much needed step in the right direction.

Edited

This.

Crazy in this day and age to be a parent and not educate yourself about the harms of smart phones for young people.

Wrenford · 06/06/2024 21:27

I've just finished reading The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. An evidence-based analysis of the devastating consequences of current smartphone usage in teens. Would recommend every parent reads it. But schools banning smartphones is surely a much needed step in the right direction.

FrogandTrumpet · 06/06/2024 21:26

I back fully any school doing this. It should be rolled out nationwide.

The fact that kids may find a “workaround” isn’t a reason not to ban them.

There is no valid reason to have a smartphone at school.

Noonelikesasloppytrifle · 06/06/2024 21:24

Needmorelego · 06/06/2024 21:22

Most of them will probably just have them switched off at the bottom of their bag to use as soon as they walk out the gate.
Which is pretty much the rule many schools have - "no see, no hear".

We have this rule but we have 1300 students and the battle to confiscate phones and follow through is impossible with the resource available to us. Then we have parents arguing it too.

Needmorelego · 06/06/2024 21:22

Most of them will probably just have them switched off at the bottom of their bag to use as soon as they walk out the gate.
Which is pretty much the rule many schools have - "no see, no hear".

Noonelikesasloppytrifle · 06/06/2024 21:21

I wish all schools would do this. This is what I would hope to achieve:

  1. Reduce incidents of unsolicited filming and spreading on social media
  1. Get rid of the constant temptation for students to check their phones and be distracted
  1. Prevent arguments around phones being confiscated from students who are witnessed getting them out.
  1. Stop students spending an excessive time in the toilet because their using their phones
  1. Stops allowing students to contact home as soon as they face the slightest adversity
noblegiraffe · 06/06/2024 21:20

Most schools have banned smartphones?

SlowerMovingVehicle · 06/06/2024 21:20

Can it be 1,700 schools across the country please? Got to start the turnaround somewhere and it needs to be consistent.

Spirallingdownwards · 06/06/2024 21:19

Less being distracted in class when they sneakily look at them.

Less cyber bullying by taking photos during class/school hours.

The inability to film the ones they are bullying.

The inability to film teachers and post inappropriately.

The inability to google answers or use AI to do their set classwork.

I could go on.

I am more mystified that you genuinely could not think of any reasons.

RicStar · 06/06/2024 21:17

I honestly thought all secondary schools did this anyway. Dd school actually take in all phones and give them back each day. Any phone found is confiscated for a week.

Original poster
ThatMother2024 · 06/06/2024 21:13

Surely they are not allowed to use the phones in school anyway? Is it really so terrible that they have smartphones?

OP posts: