Should Mobile Phones be Allowed in School?

**Advertisement Feature**

Mobile phones and technology in general are a huge part of life nowadays and young people and their digital devices is a hot topic at the moment. There’s a lot being said about whether or not children should be allowed to take their phones to school. With some contradiction between embracing technology as “the future” or banning them from school premises for fear of them being a distraction, is there a way to find a happy medium?  

At this independent school in Surrey many of the pastoral issues can be tracked back to mobile phone misuse. Consequently, staff, teachers, parents and even many of the students agreed that new policies needed to be issued in order to clamp down on phone usage during the school day especially for their Year 7 and 8 students. 

Even boarders at the school were limited to 50 minutes of phone use per day. Of course, it took some time for students to adjust to this transition, many of them not knowing how to use their spare time. However, it eradicated many issues associated with poor and unwise use of social media. Perhaps this is something that other schools, and even parents, can learn from? Do you think this is something that would benefit your child?  

Many schools try to educate their community on acceptable use of mobile phones, exploring topics such as cyber-bullying and generally staying safe online. However teaching students about internet safety is a crucial element of a school’s duty of care. While children are undeniably incredibly talented at using modern technology, having it thrust upon them from a young age, they don’t always have the maturity to use them responsibly and therefore avoid the dangers involved. 

 

There’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to determining whether or not mobile phones should be banned from schools, but it’s most definitely something for teachers and parents to consider. It’s important for responsible adults to monitor their child’s use of technology, no matter the location in which they’re using it.  

Of course there are definitely benefits of our children having mobile phones in school too. Especially for those children who may walk to and from school alone. or for this children who may regularly head to friends after school. It is a great way for children to be able tor reach us whenever they need us and for us to contact them too. I think it really comes down to teaching our children about appropriate use, safety and ensuring they have time away now and again to engage in other things too. 

How do you feel about children taking their phones to school? 

xXx

**This is a collaborative post.**