Students in New South Wales (NSW) public high schools must have mobile phones turned off and out of sight from Oct. 9, the Minns Labor government announced.
The ban on the use of phones will apply during class, recess, and lunch. Schools will determine how they enforce it and respond to breaches. Students can still carry a phone while travelling to and from school.
It will complement the ban in public primary schools to improve declining classroom environments and student outcomes from the former Liberal National government, according to the state government.
Education and Early Learning Minister Prue Car said it would reduce distraction and cyberbullying while “students can focus on what’s most important.”
“What we’ve heard from schools that already have bans in place gives me real confidence that this common-sense measure will improve student learning and social development outcomes,” she said.
Most schools chose zero or low-cost options to implement the ban, such as keeping phones in lockers or off and away.
Principals and teachers can, however, still authorise use for exemptions, including monitoring blood sugar levels for students with diabetes.
Ashfield Boys High Relieving Principal Linda Henry said students expressed relief that their phones are being locked away.
“The lockers are a good investment and a permanent thing. It will be out of sight and out of mind,” Ms. Henry said.
“Our students recognise mobile phone use is a habit and distraction, which will help them focus on learning and interacting with their friends.”
Premier Chris Minns said it comes after test scores declined in recent years.
“It is essential to ensure that young people, in particular, can focus on the school work in front of them,” he said, adding they can’t “while they’ve got a phone pinging in their ear every other second.”
NSW Labor Leader Chris Minns speaks to the media during a press conference at NSW State Parliament, Sydney, Australia, on June 4, 2021. AAP Image/Dean Lewins
Australian States Freeze Out Phones in Schools
The ban follows that of South Australia (SA), the Northern Territory, Victoria, and Western Australia. Queensland will introduce the practice next year while the ACT government is considering it.The SA Labor government implemented the ban in 158 public high schools on July 27, a move that changed the schoolyard’s culture, according to state Education, Training, and Skills Minister Blair Boyer.
Mr. Boyer said kids were “playing together and chatting, rather than heads down looking at their phones.”
Meanwhile, the Principal of Norwood International High School Jacqui van Ruiten implemented cash and debit/EFTPOS cards for students who used their phones to pay for vending machines and canteen food.
“There are plenty of options available for everyone as they reconsider the use of the time that might have been spent scrolling on mobile devices in the past,” Ms. Van Ruiten said.
Currently, 95 percent of schools in Queensland have classroom bans but around 15 percent do not extend it to break times. The remaining schools restrict usage informally.
School students are seen in Brisbane, Australia, on May 2, 2018. AAP Image/Dan Peled
Following implementing the Anti-Cyberbullying 2018 Taskforce recommendations, all the Queensland public schools were required to outline how they manage mobile phones, the context of cyberbullying and distractions in the classroom.
Queensland Education Minister Grace Grace said the ban would “complement” the state’s anti-cyberbullying work, including the “preventative and reactive achievements” from the $15 million Respectful Relationships program, which aims to provide student information about consent education, sexual assault, ethical decision-making, coercive control, abuse forms, and gender-based violence.
The government said that a University of Queensland independent evaluation commended the state’s “strong commitment” to reduce cyberbullying.
Sweeping the Issue Under the Rug, Commentator Says
However, the School of Education and Institute for Culture and Society, Joanne Orlando, expressed concern kids wouldn’t learn to develop a healthy relationship with technology.Federal Education Minister Jason Clare called for a national approach to the ban on April 23 and would discuss it with parents, teachers and principals. However, Ms. Clare said students were an “obvious omission” from this list.
She said studies of phone bans overseas show that as the policy receivers, children’s views are critical.
Further, she said school phone bans were proven “wrong” on TikTok’s social media app, “with footage of Australian students breaking open pouches often purchased by schools to lock phones away.”
“Parents often resort to confiscating phones at home when they don’t know how to control children’s use of technology. School bans are confiscation on a large scale. But they risk making life harder for children in the long run,” Ms. Orlando said.
Subsequently, research showed no change in bullying or class engagement after school phone bans, Ms. Orlando wrote.
She noted, “One 2022 Spanish study did attempt to say bans had led to better academic results. However, students were permitted to use phones in schools as a learning tool for educational purposes. The researchers state this may have been the reason for increased scores.”
“Bans make it likely we will leave our children without skills they need to be able to learn, work and live in a world saturated with technology,” Ms. Orlando added.
