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

[ThatMother2024]

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.

@sunshine237 I am happy for a school to have a rule that they aren't used in school (either handed in each day or no see/no hear)
but I don't think a school should dictate whether or not I choose to let my daughter have access to a smartphone.
She uses hers for a lot of positive things.

They're not dictating, they are advising - attempting to create a positive culture around not having a smartphone. It's not just about your daughter. The harms to all children are well evidenced.

Agree. I also use a separate handheld scanner for mine

Then you're not on a closed loop system which many children and young people now are (omnipod 5 with dexcom 6). Dexcom 6 doesn't come with a scanner (although there may be one available, I am not sure), you just use your phone with it.

@sunshine237 that's fine then.
Advising is fine.
Schools should have -
All children and parents sign a contract when joining a school.
Contract should be -
Have a hand them in or no see/no hear rule.
Confiscation if rules aren't followed.
Leading to further punishments if the rules carry on being broken.

Obviously there would be exceptions, use your common sense.

This. Technology is here to stay.

The reason for this is the inability/unwillingness of some parents to monitor what their children are accessing and doing on smartphones and on social media.

DS’s HT is dreadful in many ways (Covid denier, appalling attitude to students with disabilities and borderline offensive to families that aren’t wealthy), but the phone policy they have is a good one.

They have an out of sight/out of earshot policy. If a phone is seen or heard it’s confiscated (and if a pupil refuses confiscation it’s an internal detention) and returned at the end of the day. The second time it’s confiscated then a parent has to collect it.

It’s massively inconvenient for parents so now parents are the ones on at their children not to have their phone confiscated. That’ll be even more of an issue next year as the school bus passes are going to be app only.

Of course. I would expect common sense to prevail. But noted there are those saying 'there is no good reason' a phone is needed. There are good reasons.

The HT of one of the London academies said it has less to do with phone use in school and more to do with all the evidence that owning one of these phones is causing damage to children. It's about their holistic wellbeing, not whether they text in class.

Banning meaning they can't take them into school at all? or they have to be turned off and not used?

I don't agree with the first, I do the second.

DT’s school banned use on school grounds - during lessons and breaks. If caught the phone was confiscated until after school on Friday.

Yes, schools should do this not the people who brought them into the world 🤣

They already have this....

This - it ought to be standard. I’ve heard of schools where they make the parents come and collect the confiscated phone - an added inducement to stick to the rules!

We told DT’s if they ever got their phones confiscated by school, they would be confiscated at home.

👍!

Surely software can be switched on and off to stop using the smartphone elements of the phones during school hours? I’m not phrasing it well..

phones could have software with school mode on it.. you could make calls in an emergency but no photos etc could be taken.

If there is an emergency at school, the school would make a necessary calls, the students don’t need their phone during the school day.
Schools impose bans because students can’t all be trusted.

Presumably there is an exemption for those using a phone as a medical device, such as a CGM?

Fewer, not less, spelling mistakes.

We had parents information evening at dtwins secondary for year 7. Deputy head made a point to say children do not need a smart phone and to consider a regular phone instead. This has made me happy that we have indeed made the right choice for our dc. They were initially cross about this decision but have come round to it and this evening dtwin2 said that she is actually relieved not to be getting a smart phone.

I cant believe that this is even a question, the link between smartphone usage and extremely poor outcomes in children's mental health and well being is a foregone conclusion. My son will be getting a Nokia Phone on his 13th birthday as a safety precaution and device. If he is bullied for not having a smartphone by his peers we have prepared him for this by providing him with lots of data and evidence that supports this decision at the age of 11. The near constant surveilling of children and minors as well as the digitization and normalisation of cellphone usage with zero regard to mental health, activity, eye sight, anxiety, lack of exercise or well being reminds me of the tobacco lawsuits in the eighties where BAT went into schools handing out Camels and promoting cigarette usage as good for health and de-stressing Meanwhile the tech bros in Silicon valley like Zuck and Musk are sending their own children to tech free schools where they learn Kumon with abacuses? What a joke. Bring on this legislation and I pray all schools including independent ones take this on in droves. Apart from a child being harmed or safety, there is no reason for them to be under the near constant mutiny of their digital devices and smartphones.

I would imagine so ,my son uses his as one he he was diagnosed just before his G@CSE,s and was allowed his phone on the desk in front of him throughout his exams
He's at college now and has has to explain several tines why he needs his phone on him.

Excellent. Students might actually learn and those whose families can’t afford them won’t be singled out. About time.