Pupils forced to ‘detox’ by handing in mobile phones each day

A LEADING private school is forcing its pupils to hand in their mobile phones at the beginning of every day, in an effort to wean children off their “addiction” to technology.

The headmaster of Brighton College, a mixed-gender independent boarding school, has written to parents to inform them of the new regime, which he said will be coming into force at the start of next term.

From September, students in years seven, eight and nine will be required to hand in their mobile phones at the beginning of the day to teachers who will lock them away, ready for collection between 4 and 5pm, when they are about to go home.

Students in year ten will be allowed their phones, but must subscribe to three “detox” days a week where they hand it in, with year elevens having one “detox” day.

The £38,000-a-year school already bans phones in all public spaces such as the school cafés and the dining room.

Richard Cairns, the head of Brighton College, said: “Our strategy is to wean pupils off their addiction to mobile phones while they are still relatively young, allowing them more freedom to use phones as they get older so that they learn how to be responsible users.

“We want to provide time and space for youngsters to learn the simple art of conversation, to look up and notice the wonderful, and sometimes not so wonderful, world around them.”

He said the initiative would allow pupils “to discover the pleasures of simple board games and physical activity”. Brighton College said it has stockpiled board games so that children have activities to fill the “void” at break times. Mr Cairns added: “If parents restrict their teenager’s use to certain hours, parents should impose upon themselves the same strictures. That is what I have told our teachers.

“None of them will be using mobile phones around the campus during the school day.”