Should we ban mobiles in schools?

As concerns mount over the impact of mobile phones on young minds, are parents right to worry?

They are the generation born between 1997 and 2012 who are growing up with smartphones, often have an Instagram account before they start high school and do not remember a time before the internet and social media.

Concerns about “screen time” and its effects on young brains and attention spans have also been a factor of their childhoods. But now there is a growing realisation that the impact of this giant, unintended social experiment on the so-called i-Gen generation may be more profound than anyone has yet imagined.

On the one hand, their tech-savvyskills might well prove invaluable in the 21st Century workplace. But critics have also linked the rise of the smartphone and social media addiction to everything from younger people’s interactions with others to mental ill health and rocketing rates of teen depression and suicide.

Dr Kate Smith, head of division of mental health nursing and counselling at Abertay University in Dundee, said much of the research in the field was unclear.

However, there is growing evidence that social isolation issues may stem from increased disengagement from the “real” world and in some cases this is linked to the length of time spent browsing social media.

“It’s uncharted territory,” she said. “It’s difficult for parents to understand the risks. One of the reasons I think the research is unclear is because social media use is put in one big basket. It’s hard to make a judgment on what’s going on.”

What is clear is that technology is here to stay, and society needs to have a conversation about its concerns, she added.

Dorothy MacGinty, principal at Kilgraston private girls’ school in Bridge of Earn, banned mobile phones at the start of term and says she has no regrets.

She acted out of concern that her pupils were becoming addicted to social media and being bombarded with idealised portrayals of women, and insists she has noticed improvements in social skills including eye contact and conversation.

Dr Carolina Kuepper-Tetzel, lecturer in psychology at Dundee University, said there was wider evidence of the benefits of leaving mobile phones at the school door.

Children with phones in class might argue they are multi-tasking but they are less likely to retain the information they should be absorbing.

Simply having a smartphone nearby decreases young people’s cognitive ability – people are consciously drawn to the device because they think they might be missing out.

Chris Martin, chief executive of Dundee-based mobile app development company Waracle Ltd, highlights the “amazing benefits” mobile phones have brought to all of our lives but admits the situation for schools is difficult.

Responsibility for striking the right balance belongs to schools and parents, he said.

“We totally understand the idea of no phones in class and, as a parent, I want to delay giving my kids mobile phones of their own for as long as possible,” he said.

“But it’s inevitable and it’s the responsibility of parents and schools to ensure that they’re learning and socialising in person as a first priority.

“We’d like to think the average kid would much rather hang out with their friends face-to-face than pick up their mobile phones and be encouraged to do so.”

It’s difficult for parents to understand the risks. One of the reasons I think the research is unclear is because social media use is put in one big basket