Mobiles make children too dopey to learn, say academics

IT IS a problem which will resonate with every parent of teenagers.

Children are obsessed with mobile phones, but now it seems this compulsion is impacting upon their ability to learn.

Yorkshire academics say twothirds of children are checking their phones in the classroom.

Youngsters experience broken sleep, anxiety and disengagement from lessons as a result, researchers at Leeds Beckett University found.

They discovered that young people were also attached to their phones at night, resulting in tiredness in the classroom and impacting on their ability to learn.

Professor Jonathan Glazzard, from the university, said: “They are desperate to network and keep up to date with their online peers.

“This results in broken sleep and tiredness during the school day.”

The Yorkshire Post recently revealed that one of the region’s largest secondary schools had implemented a mobile phone ban in school grounds, arguing that it is better for students’ mental health and learning.

In just a single term since the ban was brought in, deputy headteacher at Sheffield’s Ecclesfield School Rachel Sutcliffe said staff had seen improvements in social interactions and communication.