Six in ten teachers support phone ban in schools
Survey reveals devices are affecting discipline
SIX out of ten secondary school teachers want to see a complete smartphone ban in schools, new research has revealed.
The surge in smartphone use amongst teenagers is having an impact on classrooms, and is contributing to worsening levels of discipline among students.
A recent Studyclix Teacher Survey showed that 51% of second-level teachers consider smartphones to be a hindrance in the classroom, claiming that they are adding extra stress to their job.
Just over 40% of 1,000 secondlevel teachers surveyed online believe that discipline among students is worse than it was five years ago, with one-quarter now considering classroom discipline to be the greatest challenge of being a teacher.
Luke Saunders, secondary school teacher and founder of education website Studyclix, said that smartphones are causing a whole new level of discipline that didn’t exist until recent years.
‘In a student survey we ran on Studyclix last year, we found that 54% of students reported to having checked their phone in class in the last seven days,’ Mr Saunders said.
‘In my view, students having smartphones in their pockets is the biggest challenge that teachers face in today’s classroom.
‘The fact that 43% of teachers reported classroom discipline being worse than it was five years ago is likely largely down to the conflict that phone use has created.’
Mr Saunders added that the discipline issues is just one of the problems caused in classrooms by the internet-enabled devices, as cyberbullying is also a difficulty.
‘Students have the ability to say what they want in a public forum,’ he said.
‘Plus, I think the fact that they’re all equipped with cameras now is also an issue. Giving students the ability to take photographs whenever they want and post the images online obviously has its own issues.’
The survey also showed that social media use is high amongst teachers, with 68% using Facebook, and 36% having a Snapchat account.
Mr Saunders told the Irish Daily Mail that it’s quite rare for a secondary level student to not own a smartphone, and that he does believe the devices can be beneficial when used in a learning environment.
However, he said that primary school children should not be allowed to own a smartphone, adding that he ‘absolutely’ backs the Mail’s Protect Our Kids Online campaign to introduce a minimum age for smartphone ownership.
Mr Saunders said: ‘As a parent, I would make sure that I’m aware of what apps are installed on that phone and I would talk to my child about their phone use and what apps they’re using.’
Mr Saunders is one of many teachers who have backed the Mail’s growing campaign, as dozens of school principals have told this paper that they are in favour of an age restriction.
Support for an age limit is also gaining momentum among the general public, with a poll by the TheJournal.ie showing that 75.7% of people are in favour of an under-14s smartphone ban.
A national poll for RTÉ’s Claire Byrne Live showed 56% in favour of not allowing children to own a smartphone until they are 13 years old, while an Irish Daily Mail/Ireland Thinks poll in December showed 69% support of an under-16s ban.
Last month, this paper asked more than 2,000 school principals whether they had a policy on smartphones, and whether they personally supported a minimum age of ownership.
Of the first 100 replies, 74 said that they had banned the use of smartphones in their schools completely, and that they were delighted with the positive effect it had on students.
Ninety-two of these 100 head teachers from across the country also backed an age limit.
‘Biggest challenge for teachers’