Paul Givan’s new guidance to schools on mobile phone use amongst pupils is a welcome move.
It is now advised that schools introduce more restrictions around phone use during the school day, including at lunch and break times.
While many schools in the north already have limits around usage during the day, the guidance is aimed at ensuring a more consistent approach across all schools.
On a personal level, the school my children attend already has a strict approach to the use of mobile phones.
No phones are allowed to be used during the day, which means pupils cannot take them out during class or use them at break or lunchtimes.
If a pupil is caught using a phone, it is usually confiscated and only returned at the end of the day or after a parent has been notified.
As a parent, I know I am not alone in feeling my children spend too much time on their phones.
My children will often hear me say, ‘get off that phone’.
The new guidance from the Department of Education has clear potential benefits – from school performance to pupil attainment and it may well help young people to focus on their learning and cause less distractions.
Children should also be encouraged to talk face to face more, let’s have them playing or socialising in the playground rather than being glued to a screen.
There’s also the impact on a pupil’s well-being – spending more time being active with their peers may help their mental health.
And then there’s the concerns around bullying and safeguarding connected to mobile phones.
But I also recognise they are a part of everyday life, they serve many important functions.
They have their uses during the school day – smartphones can be a valuable educational tool, they can allow pupils to carry out online research, provide a wealth of information as well as numerous educational apps.
There will be varying opinions about how successful a crackdown on mobile phone usage can be, but the benefits of putting restrictions in place during the school day clearly outweigh the disadvantages.
