We DO need a law on phones! – Kerry principal
THE principal who has led the country’s first ‘smartphonefree’ community has insisted the Government should legislate to bring in smartphone age limits nationwide.
Terry O’Sullivan, who has gained nationwide acclaim after persuading parents at his Co. Kerry school to agree not to let their children have the devices, said it should not be left up to individual schools or parents to bring in measures which are ultimately about protecting the nation’s children.
‘We need to act now, not later,’ Mr O’Sullivan told the Irish Daily Mail. ‘We are trying to protect children here and that’s the underlying issue.
‘If something was legislated [for] then it would greatly improve the school lives of children, their parents and teachers.’
The ban agreed by parents at Blennerville National School has been acclaimed by parents and teachers across the country – as well as being welcomed by the families concerned.
It is a huge vindication for the Mail’s campaign for smartphone age limits to be set by law.
However, some politicians who oppose taking action are trying to use the school’s success to argue that regulating smartphones should be left to schools and parents – rather than the Government setting national policies or passing laws to protect all children.
However, Mr O’Sullivan was clear that he would like to see national legislation.
He told the Mail this weekend: ‘If the Government legislate, it will definitely help an awful lot – and not just us, the educators, but also the parents. Then they can turn around and say to their child: “Well, the legislative age for a smartphone is 14 or 16, and you can’t get a phone”.’
Supporters of a ban point out that without legislation, children would continue to be targeted by phone companies and retailers who want them to buy the devices – while some children could choose to buy a phone against their parents’ will, creating terrible conflict.
Such scenarios would be eliminated if there were national laws in place, they say – a point echoed by Mr O’Sullivan.
‘Legislation would also mean that children would not be allowed to go into a phone shop and purchase it [a smartphone].’ Mr O’Sullivan said that since the news of the ban emerged, he has received huge numbers of calls from other school principals across the country supporting him – and discussing bringing in similar policies.
‘I have been inundated with school principals contacting me since this went viral – lots of other schools telling me they want to follow in our footsteps.’
‘One of the parents sent us this message at the school following all the media coverage.
‘It read, “Just to say well done on all the media coverage, regarding the social media ban. I just saw it on the nine o’clock news, you should all be very proud. I have to say we have a much happier child here the past few weeks”.
‘That’s proof straight away that this ban is working and improving the lives of our children,’ Mr O’Sullivan said.
Earlier this week Mr O’Sullivan said he would be delighted to sit down with Education Minister Richard Bruton and tell him exactly what it’s like to be a teacher dealing with the array of difficult issues arising from smartphone use among pupils on the frontline.
‘He needs to see what I’m seeing, a lot of people do not realise the extent of what is going on,’ he said.
‘We have a much happier child here’