Kids don’t need phones at school
When I’m doing the school pick-up, I notice a lot of kids get on their phones within seconds of leaving the classroom. I’m not sure what the urgency is for these primary pupils but I do know that children don’t need smartphones at school. Teachers work hard to engage pupils and they don’t need smartphones distracting from learning. It’s a view supported by the government in France, which has just voted overwhelmingly to ban smartphones and personal tablets from schools. The ban is part of a move in France to wean children off electronics and was a key campaign promise of current French President Emmanuel Macron. It’s a blunt, bold move but it’s what’s needed to curb rising tech addiction in children. Parents have told me their kids spend every lunchtime at high school playing on their smartphones. It’s a scene playing out at schools around the world and various countries have taken different approaches. In the United States, New York City banned smartphones in schools. The ban was eventually lifted, partly due to parents wanting to be able to contact their children after school. I can’t see our government taking such a heavy-handed approach like France but there is one thing it could do – educate children about devices and their addictive nature. This would need to start in year 1, by which time most kids are skilled with phones and tablets. Waiting until high school is too late. That way they’ll understand tech and learn to regulate their use. Children (and parents) also need to grasp that apps and phones are designed to be addictive (they use similar techniques commonly found in gambling) and limiting their use is necessary. And for those parents and kids need to get in touch after school, an old-style dumb phone is best. They’re affordable and allow you to text or call without any of the addictive, distracting features of a smartphone. They’re a great introduction to the world of tech and won’t hurt your bank balance when it’s inevitably lost or broken. It shouldn’t be up to the schools or governments to police smartphone use. Parents and children need to take responsibility too.