Phones permitted on school trip

[Smorgs]

DS 13, goes to an international school in the European country we live in. His school has a very relaxed attitude to phones which I find baffling but my concerns are usually batted away during parent teacher meetings and we don't really have an alternative school as it was a disaster in the local system for him.
Last year (his first year in senior school) on his school trip I and another parent asked for mobile phones to be kept at home on the trip and the school agreed. However this year we've received an email from the head saying they are allowing phones and the children will be using them for the journey time and downtime in the evening. The teachers will take them away at bedtime.
I feel so disappointed. My son really wants a phone and I'm sure we'll have to get one in the next year or so but now he's going to be completely excluded on the journey and in the evenings for this trip. There are a couple of other children who don't have phones but I know some of his friends will just plug into their phone and not interact in the evenings. Also I don't know what kind of restrictions they have on their devices and I'd be mortified if he saw anything inappropriate.
What would you do?

If my DC was going in a school trip I’d want them to have a phone in case of emergencies.

I don’t think you can do much. You have made your parenting choice, others have made a different one.

The phones are being collected at bed time which I think is the important bit

School have clearly considered the issue and made a decision.

school trips do tend to be pretty full on so presumably there won’t be that much free time.

tablet with WiFi turned off and kindle app?

You have your boundaries on phone ownership for young people. You can’t expect everyone else to fit in around your choices just so your dc doesn’t feel the odd one out during the journey and evenings.

The reality is by 13 unless he is a very unusual lad he would’ve already seen lots of things that are inappropriate on other peoples phones or on his laptop.

I know this is likely to come as a surprise to you yeah but young people have been exposed to sexual content long before 13 due to easy access with technology

But they have the teachers there if there's an emergency?

In my experience his friends will share whatvtgeycare watching on their phones. He probably won't be left out.

You can't control other people, and the school will have more parents asking for their children to be allowed phones presumably.

This is one of those parenting junctions you have to navigate - you either follow the pack (get him a phone) or chart your own course (continue to say no to a phone). You can't ask other parents to change their ways to save you feeling uncomfortable about your choices.

It's a short trip. He can take books - maybe buy him an e-reader and load it up. Or you can get him a locked down phone for the trip. You will have to pick your line.

You can choose for your son not to have a phone but you don't get to impose your choice on others.

You've just reinforced my point, thank you

But the point is that you can’t do anything about this. School have made a choice. They’re not going to change it because you complain. I would suspect that they’d have many more parents complaining if they did. Never mind the children’s complaints.
All you can do is figure out a solution for your child.