To feel relieved the school has now completely banned phones

[Eastie77Returns]

DD’s school has completely banned phones for all incoming Y7 pupils and this will last for the entirety of their time at the school going toward. Existing pupils are still allowed to bring phones in but have to keep to the old rule (if they are seen or heard they are confiscated for 20 days).

DD is Y9 so she will be able to follow the old rule but DS, who starts secondary next year, will not be able to take one in. I honestly feel a massive sense of relief. He doesn’t have a phone at the moment and I was planning to get him an old style Nokia as he isn’t bothered about tech or latest phones. However I was a bit worried that he’d feel left if all his friends had iPhones etc. The school seems pretty serious about it all, all pupils and parents have to sign an agreement and any child caught with a phone will be excluded - no questions asked. The mother of DS’ best friend has now decided she will not send her DS to the school as originally planned as she thinks the ban is reckless and dangerous?! AIBU to think the ban is fine and makes complete sense plus millions of children managed to get to and from school safely without phones a generation ago!

That's how I feel about the ban.

I'm glad mine got through secondary school before it came in. You don't know how important it is to have one until that emergency comes where it is important.

And we have a secondary school walking route goes past work: there's a fair trade in old smart phones and swapping of SIM cards (to hide that they have a smart phone at home) goes on.

We should be teaching them (as parents) to be responsible when they first get them rather than handing them one at 16/18yo and expecting them suddenly to be responsible.

Do you honestly think some teenagers will adhere to this? I don't.

Locked away not off. The point teachers have made is valid.

Where there has been bans of use during the school day, it has reduced bullying.

Of course they won't. The root of the issue is ineffective parenting. Schools are damned if they do, damned if they don't.

Going to school without phones in the 90s is not relevant to today's kids. School in the 90s was preparing the kids to becoming adults in the 90s and early 00s. Life is different now and our kids' needs are subsequently different too.

My teens use their phones to access public transport passes, timetables, maps, info. They use them to keep track of homework, and in some cases to do it. They have banking online and via their phones.

I think social media is problematic and support age limits or bans there. I'm also totally supportive of a no phones in class or even during the whole school day but a total ban does them a disservice imo. It's 2026 now and many areas of life pretty much require a smartphone whether you like it or not. They aren't the devil. They're a powerful tool we should be teaching our kids to use responsibly.

I suppose the schools think/hope that it'll gradually change their culture and reduce the problem to just a few pupils who simply won't be told what to do - usually with parents who'll raise hell if someone so much as suggests they might