Are there any parents out there who support smartphones in schools?

[LadyJos]

Just curious as all the dialogue out there seems to be about banning them.

I just think smartphones are really important for downtime. I love it when I can relax and have a little scroll - and so does my daughter. Tbh I'd have a really big problem with any school telling me she couldn't do that.

But then if they're switched off in bags, what's stopping kids from taking pictures in the school loos etc? What's stopping them from using them inappropriately?

If all parents actually monitored their kids phone use, using every parental monitoring tool available, reading through the messages they send and so on, then smartphones wouldn't be much of a problem.

Problems arise when parents hand over this potentially dangerous technology and then don't actually monitor what their kids are doing with it.

A child in the neighborhood school recently attempted suicide, apparently due to bullying online. So sad, and surely preventable?

Yes I liked the locked bag thing too. I’ve never been able to see how leaving them at reception in the morning for example works practically, we’re a fairly small secondary or around 509 pupils but even so it would be chaos. ! Some teachers like pupils to use their phones to access information during class, so I’m assuming a bag could be unlocked for this ? Although come to think of it you’d have to be sure every pupil had actually put their phones in the bag and not in a pocket 🤔

I agree. My DC grew up in the smartphone era and tbh they are absolutely fine! They also have a lot of creativity from their apps like Tik Tok etc.

So you think it’s better for a kid with neurodiversities to not go to school? You think they should just be able to manage without support, so why bother to give it to them?

my DS has lessons where the teacher sets up mini quizzes through a site they access phones on, they use them in class for research sometimes when allowed to. So yes, I support them in schools as long as managed properly. No, I don’t think they should be in bags because they’re far more likely to get damaged. Yes I think they should be turned off if not being used for things like I’ve mentioned above.

There isn't a single secondary school, not just in my catchment area , but in my entire town, that allow them. So I don't have much choice in the matter.

I do support this ban though. I want my DC to know how to communicate verbally, face to face, not just on a phone and while there are people in front of them, they should be doing this. There's plenty of time to scroll if they want to, outside of school. I also think it discourages physical activity which is necessary for health.

My eldest does make his own way to and from school and its quite a long journey, so I absolutely insist he is allowed his smartphone to and from school, and no schools I know of have an issue with this.

I agree. My DC grew up in the smartphone era and tbh they are absolutely fine! They also have a lot of creativity from their apps like Tik Tok etc.

I can't imagine being so chill about my daughter receiving a dick pick. Just "ohh well she can delete it" is crazy.

I wish there was no such thing as smart phones at all. Bring back the Nokia 3210s.

I'm so frustrated that the secondary schools around me don't allow them. I don't agree with your points in physical activity though. There's loads of apps that really support physical activity. I wouldn't be doing my workouts without my phone lol!

I think a non smartphone is the answer for most school children. I had to collect DD from school several times when the bus broke down, didn't turn up or even caught fire on one occasion. No other viable transport.

Rural area with poor public transport and dedicated school buses. The school wouldn't have been able to cope with hundreds of kids trying to phone home from the phones in reception.

Sorry but I think "dangerous technology" is a bit much. If they were that bad they would never have been made/allowed!!!

Hmmmm. I very much doubt the majority of kids on their smart phones in schools are using them to do workouts.

And kids do not need smartphones in order to do workouts. Neither do you, come to that.

It’s pretty much essential at our school. Timetables, ordering and paying for school lunches, participating in kahoot quizzes are all done on smart phones and every child is provided with a Chromebook too.
75% of pupils get the bus and so most parents want them to be able to communicate if necessary.

Actually I really wouldn't do the workouts without my phone. It gives me notifications to remind me, keeps me on track etc. There are so many good apps out there e.g. one for breastfeeding when I was breastfeeding my son so I could remember how long, which boob etc. And there's loads for education too like for note taking etc.

I do. She uses it to get to school (digital bus pass), she contacts me when she goes to her pupil mentor for support for situations, we can communicate after school about if she is going to be late back for whatever reason/if I'll be home after her/if she needs to pop to the shop. We have Life360 on it for any issues. She has my card on her Apple Pay in case of any problems/emergencies.

They turn the phone off or hand them in during the actual school day.

I don't believe that banning things like this and all the "we didn't have it in our day" actually helps. The tech is there, it won't go backwards. Find ways to work with it and put structure.

Making something the forbidden fruit won't ever, and has never, worked.

I have a teen with ASD. He will text me in his break and at lunch, and having a phone gives him something to "do" at those times, as he doesn't have any friends (he's in mainstream, academically does well but socially struggles). His school don't allow them in lessons which I agree with but break and lunch is fine with me.

I am against any further encroachment by schools into parental authority. Schools have already been empowered by the governemnt to overstep their bounds massively, and I wonder where parents will draw the line. My children will not have smartphones until they are 14-16 depending on their maturity levels closer to the time, but that is my right as a parent to make that decision for my family. If a parent decides their 11 year old should have a smartphone, schools should have no authority to decide when that child gets to keep their phone on their person. Just like it's a parenting decision when my children get to go to the toilet, take their blazer off, wear nailpolish or necklaces, have a certain hairstyle, and many other things. It should also be a parenting decision whether something is a good enough reason for my child to miss school.

These "new rules" are also complete nonsense. Smartphone use during lesson time have been against the rules in all schools since smartphones have existed, so why go further? If schools can't enforce that rule, how do they expect to enforce a blanket ban of phones on school grounds? This is like if the governemt introduces legislation to make cutting dog's legs off illegal. This is already not permitted under the current rules, so why applaud time-wasting announcements of new rules?

Totally agree. And as to my previous point - if they were that bad, Apple etc wouldn't have been allowed to bluddy well make them would they??

I couldn't agree more. I am very big on encouraging my DC to be independent. Some might see it as laziness, but to me it's an important part of setting them up for life. I get them to do as much as possible for themselves.

Yesterday DS (11) called me on his way to school because the chain had come off his bike and he didn't know what to do. I was in the playground at DD's primary school and another mum asked me if I'd like her to wait with DD while I went and rescued him. No thank you. I simply gave DS some firm encouragement, reminded him how to fix the chain, which he did, and was on his way. I don't understand parents that rush to every little thing. It's why we have kids going off to Uni for the first time with their flatmates going all the housework because they haven't got a clue where to start. Some of them can't even make a cup of tea. They might have seven A*s but no real life skills...
Sorry, I digress! 😄

You sound absolutely lovely and a credit to the school you work in- every kid deserves staff who will go out of their way to help. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case everywhere. Lots of kids have uninspiring, unsupportive staff who wouldn’t help or would draw more attention to the problem. Some kids will suffer in silence rather than speak to people they aren’t comfortable with (I was one of them), and that’s without even mentioning cases where children are abused by members of staff or children with additional needs like PP’s.

Obviously, leaving without telling anyone is unacceptable and very stressful for staff, but I don’t think that’s a reason for banning phones- just an annoyance. My school doesn’t discourage children from contacting parents if they need something, and I think it makes them more responsible for themselves and confident solving their own issues. It keeps parents informed and also keeps them safe, so it’s a win-win.

A few years ago, at another school, a student secretly recorded a member of staff being inappropriate. Another filmed a severe attack on a pupil and gave it to the police. Being able to record videos and contact emergency services inside school adds another layer of protection to our kids when we aren’t with them and to me thats the most important thing.

Lol at the idea that things that are bad for us wouldn't be allowed. Cigarette and chocolate bar anyone?

Also, your kids don't need a smart phone to be able to contact you on their way home or even from school in an urgent situation. No one is suggesting banning dumb phones.

The pioneers of tech like Jobs, Gates etc limit their children’s use to 15-30 minutes a day while they were under 16 because they know how addictive the devices are and how much money they are making out of captive eyeballs.
People invent dangerous things every day but may not know how things will develop or it makes so much money that the people invent dangerous things power don’t care.
The internet for example was initially used so that people in distant places could communicate with each other (universities, military bases etc) The inventor didn’t intend for things like porn to be distributed but it makes so much money and the people in power use it so they let it get to a point where it can’t be controlled.

I think Apple are pretty smart and would have banned them by now if they were dangerous. Where are you getting it that they ban their own children from it eye roll