To ask Aussie MNers what they think of the phone ban for under-16s?

[Carla786]

I support a phone ban & I'm interested in how it's going in Oz. I looked on the Aussie board but it was quite quiet.
Some posts I've seen from Aussies say that teens are getting round it, others are positive. Personally I'm thinking it's probably having at least some positive effects?
I'm Gen Z and was the only person in my year without an iPhone until 16- my mother I thought was way too much of a worrier at the time, and it did create difficulties, but now I'm glad she did it overall. It would definitely have been easier with a ban, or at least a ban in schools.

Interested to hear replies!

It has been a fizzer. I only know of two kids who have had their account cancelled.
I warned my son that it may happen but it didn’t. There has been no more talk in the media as I believe they failed. I think it’s a totally stupid idea and takes away parental control.

I homeschool now but when they did attend school they had a wallet they would put their phones in and hand them in and they would get them back after school.

No more talk in the media?

Can I ask : if kids aren't having their accounts cancelled, does this mean the ban isn't being enforced by the tech companies? Or something else?

I get the argument for parental control, but I think it's fair to compare to stuff like smoking, vaping, some degree of restrictions on advertising junk food etc : SM has been shown to be addictive and the effects on teens as a group are only just becoming clear.

Yes, phone ban at school restricts a lot of problems. It's weird imo how many schools encouraged phones in the UK at least.

I think it will be good for younger children who don’t yet have social media but for those older teens who have it, many /most are circumventing it.
Its a good start tho and I’m glad it’s in place.

Locked mobile pouches in Irish secondary schools too. Government spent millions on them. Definitely work with younger ages but my eldest in her final year (now 18) can sometimes get around it but she's an adult so I'm not not as concerned. She definitely though locks it most days. One of my kids has started bringing packs of cards to school to play at break times with their friends which is great, definitely kids socialising and chatting more on breaks