‘Schools must ban mobile phones to save pupils from online bullying’
A MAJORITY of British parents want mobile phones banned from secondary schools, according to a survey.
Sixty per cent say their use should not be allowed on the premises.
The findings were released as pupils return to school this week with a new intake at Year 7 in secondary schools.
It is feared the 11-year-olds will face a perfect storm of digital pressures and the risk of cyberbullying.
Nine per cent of parents said phones should be permitted in lessons with 27 per cent favouring break time and 34 preferring lunchtime.
Two-thirds think phones could be used as a tool for bullying and 30 per cent fear they put their children at risk of online predators.
The biggest concern surrounding the use of mobiles at school is children will be distracted in class and 66 per cent worry phones will be stolen.
About a quarter of parents feel their child is not safe in relation to online threats during school time. But almost the same number said they would feel anxious or nervous if their child was banned from having access to their mobile phone at school.
A fifth of parents said they feel schools should take full responsibility for protecting children from online dangers and almost three-quarters thought they should be partly responsible.
Matthew Burton, a head teacher of the Channel 4 series Educating Yorkshire, has called on parents and schools to work together to reduce any threats.
He said: “When children start secondary school, it can be a perfect storm for online pressures. Children are embracing new technologies, they are trying to maintain old friendships while also trying to settle in and establish Matthew Burton of Educating Yorkshire new friendships in a new school. It’s absolutely vital that parents and schools work together to give children the right levels of support. “Where incidents do happen, more often than not, they can be traced back to the internet.” He added: “Often the first time children will see each other ‘in real life’ after inappropriate things have been said or shared online – is when they return to school after the summer holidays. “Parents are often shocked that their children are involved in this sort of activity which is why it’s so important they are aware of the issues.” The findings from a poll by pressure group Internet Matters come in the wake of France’s decision to ban students up to the age of 15 from using phones anywhere on school grounds.