Senate pushing for smartphone ban in Australian schools

THE Senate has demanded strict controls on smartphone use in all Australian schools, putting pressure on Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to ban them from Queensland classrooms.

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THE Senate has demanded strict controls on smartphone use in schools, putting pressure on Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to ban them from Queensland classrooms.

The Senate yesterday passed a motion that state and territory education ministers should work with the federal government to “develop clear guidelines to prevent inappropriate use of smartphones in classrooms’’.

It noted that students could use smartphones to cyberbully, which was affecting one in five teenagers.

Nick Xenophon Team senator Rex Patrick, who put forward the motion, said schools need clear guidelines for the use of smart phones.

“We are not trying to stop children from taking their phones to schools,’’ he told The Courier-Mail.

Politicians are pushing for smartphones to be banned in Australian classrooms.

“There are good reasons for them to have them, including for both safety and logistics, but clear guidelines should be established for the use of smartphones in the classroom.

“We’ve recently heard from experts warning that smartphones are diluting students’ focus in the classroom and curbing students’ social skills.

“They’re also being used to engage in cyber-bullying which can have a devastating effect on young people.’’

The Senate motion followed calls by federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham for schools to make students leave smartphones in their lockers or bags during class hours.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian also supports a ban, declaring that smartphones “don’t have any place in the classroom’’.

“That would be akin to us, in the good old days, having a cassette recorder or something else sitting on the table and I think the classroom is for learning,’’ she said.

But Premier Palaszczuk has ruled out a blanket ban, saying it is up to individual schools to set their own policies.

Bravehearts founder Hetty Johnston says schools must take an active role in preventing children from accessing inappropriate and illegal content on their phones. Picture: Peter Wallis

Bravehearts founder Hetty Johnston yesterday said schools have a legal duty of care to protect children from pornography, cyber-bullies and predators grooming them online during school time.

“These devices are downright dangerous to kids,’’ Ms Johnston said.

“Schools have a legal duty of care they need to consider when debating whether or not they should ban mobile devices during the school day.

“If that device facilitates any kind of crime or bullying or provides access to predators, that’s on their watch.

“They should be locked up, handed in at the beginning of the day and collected at school.’’

The Sunday Mail revealed this week that some Queensland students were using their smartphones to snap classmates in change rooms, and foil school wi-fi filters by using cellular data to access pornography and social media.

Originally published as Senate pushing for smartphone ban in Australian schools