A petition to ban mobile phones in schools is under consideration in the Scottish Parliament.
It calls for the Scottish government to update guidance “to require all schools to prohibit the use of mobile phones during the school day, including at interval and lunchtime”.
The petition, in the name of Adam Csenki, points to “greater recognition of the harm of mobile phone use in schools, shown by a growing number of Scottish independent schools and some state schools prohibiting their use”.
Delay to guidance for schools on mobile phones
New Scottish government guidance on the use of mobile phones in schools had been due before the summer holidays, but will now not appear until sometime in the new school year.
Within 10 days of the start of the period in which Parliament is considering the petition, 19 June, it had attracted around 5,000 signatures.
The petition states: “Staff have written of the pull of the online world which is always on in a child’s pocket leading to severe loss in focus, the hostility with which teachers are met when attempting to challenge inappropriate phone use, and also of having to work with the fear of being filmed without permission and the footage uploaded onto the internet.”
Impact of phone bans in Scottish schools
In May, Tes Scotland looked in detail at the issue of school mobile phone bans.
While some school leaders have hailed the “incredible” impact of bans, others question whether a more nuanced approach is preferable.
There are concerns that schools are struggling to implement workable mobile phone policies, although some teachers have urged pragmatism in cases where, for example, school wi-fi is inadequate and a personal phone may be the only way to access an important resource for learning.
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