School’s actions might also just save the lives of mobile users

AS both a retired fireman and now a safety centre volunteer I would like to comment on your front page article (‘School Tells Parents To Put Down Their Mobiles,’ February 3), which reported on the stance taken by High Down Infant and Junior school at Portishead on the usage of mobile phones by parents/carers waiting to pick up their children.

Congratulations to the school for erecting signage saying: “GREET YOUR CHILD WITH A SMILE NOT A MOBILE! Please do not use mobile phones on school premises”. One can only hope that other schools do likewise, for it seems that many normal humanised interactions have become mediated through the dross of social media. Indeed, the philosopher Descarte’s dictum: “I think, therefore I am.” could surely now read; “I text therefore I am!”.

Mobiles/iPhones etc are in my biased opinion an absolute menace to what little remains of any normalised communications of yesteryear. They have become a socially acceptable digital drug that rightly the school sees as detrimental to relations between parents/ carers/children.

Devotees of the ‘net’ might like to remember that something such as ‘fire,’ whilst being a very good servant can also be a very bad master as demonstrated by the sad example of the Grenfell flats disaster.

While not being in such a disastrous league, it seems to me that mobile phones are increasingly becoming the digital masters of those social net-workers who cannot disconnect from their electronic friends.

I would substantiate this claim by citing the overwhelming majority of bus passengers who seem to be competing with other travellers as to who has the fastest texting ‘thumbs’ on the Clapham omnibus!

This mobile usage, whilst somewhat amusing, could be lethal if having stepped off the bus they continue to be distracted as pedestrians and walk in front of oncoming traffic!

Furthermore, car drivers continue to flout the law using handheld mobiles with the danger of becoming involved in accidents which have proved fatal; and cyclists unbelievably use mobiles while riding.

So, once again thanks to the school in Portishead whose actions, while hopefully restoring normalised relationships between parent/carer/child, might also save lives. R L Smith Knowle