School bans smartphone use outside of class time

‘Taken aback by the messages’

A PRIMARY school has introduced a ban on smartphones and social media apps outside school hours, with the full support of parents.

In less than a week since smartphones were banned, parents had already noticed an improvement in their children who are attending Blennerville National School, outside Tralee, Co. Kerry.

The school has initiated the 11week pilot programme after ‘issues’ with messaging groups with children in sixth class. The content of some of the groups in which the children were involved shocked parents and teachers. Inappropriate material was being circulated between pupils aged 11 and 12 and the children were involved in groups which contained older teenagers. Parents and teachers were very surprised with what was being shared. ‘They were very taken aback and surprised with what was going on,’ Terry O’Sullivan, school principal said.

The school – which has over 150 pupils – is a digital school, and uses iPads as educational tools, but all technology is used under supervision, Mr O’Sullivan stressed.

Content in Snapchat and Instagram group messages had shocked teachers and parents, the principal told Radio Kerry.

A meeting of staff, parents of sixth class children and the Board of Management took place last Thursday night.

Consensus was reached between parents and the school that, going forward, children won’t use smart phones or social media apps on any devices or computers outside school hours.

He said he’s seen first-hand the damage unsupervised access to the internet can have on children.

He also warned that while 11 and 12-year-old children were involved in using apps, the age of children using smartphones was lowering all the time. Children were accessing apps a lot younger, now, potentially in second class, Mr O’Sullivan said.

Pressure is on parents to buy smartphones to access apps and the ban coming from the school in conjunction with parents actually eased decision for parents who were fully behind the move.

‘We are not anti-iPads. You have to embrace the digital era. We use iPads here in school… But they must be monitored, they must be supervised,’ the principal said.

Mr O’Sullivan said in years to come this era would be looked back upon as a very dangerous one for children.

Even since last Thursday, parents reported an improvement in children’s mood and behaviour, the principal remarked. Children were more active and were engaging in board games and other social activities, they told him.