South Australia’s ban on mobile phones in schools – all the information you need

Get the lowdown on what the new mobile phone policy means for South Australian students and their families

More than a quarter of South Australian secondary institutions have already implemented the ban on mobile phones in schools,with the remainder of the state’s 158 high schools required to transition by the end of term two. But what does the policy actually mean for children and their families and how will it work in schools?

We answer the basic questions parents want to know.

What does the policy involve?

All students are required to keep their personal devices “off and away” between the start and end of each school day and while they are attending authorised school activities off-site, such as camps and excursions.

This means students must turn off or switch to flight mode all personal devices – including wearable technology – before physically putting them out of sight so they can’t be remotely accessed, such as by connecting other technology to the personal device’s hotspot or using headphones paired to the personal device.

Why is it being introduced?

To reduce distraction in the classroom so students can focus on their learning and interact with their teachers. It will also reduce incidents of cyber bullying and harassment at school, and promote use of breaks as quality time away from screens.

Where will mobile phones and other devices be stored?

Each individual school will decide about how and where students’ personal devices are stored during school hours. This could include in student lockers, lockable pouches, school bags or in a secure on-site location, such as a locked cupboard or front office.

Can children still have a phone with them in schools?

Yes, students are permitted to bring personal devices to school for the following reasons:

● to ensure their safety while travelling to and from school;

● so parents and part-time employers can contact them outside of school hours;

● so they can be contacted about their own child or a person under their care.

However, students are required to turn off their personal devices, including smartwatches and other wearable technology, or place them in flight mode before storing them according to school policy.

How do I contact my child during school?

Use the school’s formal communication channels in all instances to communicate with the school or to make contact with a child during school hours (including where a student requires early collection from school).

What if there is an emergency?

Parents and guardians should use the school’s formal communication channels. Children should be encouraged to always report to a school staff member in the first instance if they become unwell or experience an issue at school. Schools will communicate directly with families wherever needed.

What if children use personal devices as an educational tool?

Individual schools can grant exemptions for students who require the use of personal devices to assist with a disability or learning difficulty, or require it for translation purposes.

Don’t they already access social media through their laptops?

Laptops and other learning devices are connected to school-managed networks which staff will monitor to ensure students’ safe usage of the internet and restrict access to social media.

What is the process once they enter school grounds?

Students will be required to switch their personal devices off or put them in flight mode and store them in designated areas according to each individual school’s personal device policy.

What about at recess and lunchtime?

Personal devices will be switched off or put in flight mode and stored away during the school day. Students will not be permitted to access their devices until the end of the school day, including at recess and lunchtime.

Are there any exemptions?

Yes, principals can approve exemptions on a case-by-case basis for exceptional reasons such as:

● the device is used to monitor or help manage a health condition;

● the device is a negotiated adjustment to a learning program for a student with disability or learning difficulties;

● the device is used for translation in the classroom by a student with English as an additional language;

● the student has extenuating personal circumstances which require them to have ready access to their personal device, such as being a parent themselves or a primary carer to younger siblings or an unwell family member.

Individual schools may also permit student use of personal devices in learning or for other agreed, positive purposes.

Find out more at phonesoff.sa.gov.au

Disconnection leads to new connections

Seaview High School principal Penny Tranter with Year 9 student Tyler Argent and Year 12 student Alaska Cameron. Picture: Russell Millard

Implementing policy to ban mobile phones in schools improves both academic and behavioural outcomes, research shows.

A 2015 study into schools in four UK cities reported improved test scores for students attending schools where mobile phone bans were in place, with low-achieving and at-risk students gaining the most benefits. After the ban was enforced, the test scores of students aged 16 increased by 6.4 per cent of a standard deviation, equivalent to an additional hour a week in school or adding five days to the school year.

In the same year, mobile bans in schools in two Spanish regions resulted in students’ scores improving by around 10 points in maths and 12 points in sciences. From 2015 to 2017 – when the mobile ban was in force – bullying incidences fell by up to 18 per cent over pre-intervention levels.

And, in Norway, a mobile phone ban proved to significantly increase middle school students’ grade point average, increase their likelihood of attending an academic high school rather than a vocational school, and decrease incidents of bullying.

Closer to home, Victoria implemented a mobile phone policy in January 2020 banning the use of personal devices during school hours. Last year, a Sydney high school – which banned students in Years 7 to 10 from using mobile phones – reported a 90 per cent reduction in behavioural issues related to mobile phone use after just eight weeks. The school’s principal noted an increase in peer-to-peer engagement across sports activities, games and social gatherings.

As of the beginning of term three this year, South Australia will ban the use of mobile phones during school hours. Already 45 of the state’s high schools are participating in the scheme, with the remainder in the process of transitioning.

Five years ago, Seaview High School implemented a local policy banning mobile phones during lesson time. To comply with the new state-wide policy, students are now required to lock their personal devices in pouches for the entirety of the school day. Principal Penny Tranter says the move has been largely welcomed by students.

“Initially they had some concerns about how they were going to survive without their connection to social media, but there’s a level of appreciation that the decision has been made for them,” she says.

“It is what it is and that’s just how we are now learning and practising to reconnect with each other. It’s been a refreshing change because by week three we noted a significant increase in face-to-face conversations and play in the yard.

“From our perspective, it has all gone smoothly and the benefits have made it worthwhile.”

Blackwood High School principal Chris Brandwood with students Emily Bryant, Angus Dodd, Hannah Chant, Rajveer Dhillon and Chloe Geue. Picture: Russell Millard

Blackwood High School implemented the use of the lockable pouches in early 2022. While successful, principal Chris Brandwood is keen to stress the importance of careful planning to ensure a smooth transition.

“It has been successful but it continues to be hard work,” he says. “There needs to be enough for students to do during breaks and recess. I think sometimes we underestimate the significance of young people’s reliance on phones. Putting them away and not having them at hand is quite an emotional experience for some children, so that needs to be thought through very carefully.”

The school’s data continues to improve, which Brandwood credits in part to the mobile phone ban. “The overwhelming perception of teachers and leaders is there has been a huge impact on behaviour management around phones but also the engagement in learning,” he says.

“A significant number of school suspensions are based around inappropriate use of mobile phones and social media, so not having the phones during the day has positively impacted on that.”

More social, less media

Parent Kerryn Page supports the mobile phone ban in schools. Picture: Russell Millard

With two children at high school – one almost at the end of their higher education and the other at the beginning – Kerryn Page has welcomed the rollout of the mobile phones in schools policy.

Page’s children – a daughter in Year 11 and a son in Year 7 – attend Blackwood High School, which last year instituted the use of lockable pouches to keep phones out of use during school hours.

“I know there was some trepidation from some families about the cost buying the pouches would incur to the school but you look at the result and it’s a no-brainer,” Page – who is also on the school’s governing council, says. “I’m proud to think I was a part of a school that got on the front foot and did it early. For us, the Band-Aid has already been ripped off and we’re well and truly getting back to normal.”

That normal has resulted in improved standards in classrooms, where less technology equals less distractions. “It’s not students interrupting class time, being asked five times in one lesson to put their phone away,” she says. “Teachers shouldn’t have that responsibility – they should be able just to focus on the learning and educating our kids. That’s what they’re there for.”

Improvements have also been witnessed in the school yard during break times, with students now looking up at each other rather than down at their phones. “It gives students the ability to reconnect with people in real life and I think that’s something that’s been missed,” she says.

These social interactions are helping to develop key skills for life after graduation. “Most of the students in my daughter’s year level are in the workforce in some capacity, and you can’t be on your phone all day at work – you actually have to communicate with customers, colleagues and others,” Page says. “It’s putting them in good stead as they mature and graduate from an educational institution to entering the workforce.”

Better outcomes for students and staff

Findon High School principal Kathleen Hoare. Picture: Dean Martin

Lunchtimes at Findon High School have always been a hive of activity.

In the past, students would often be huddled in groups all looking at their phones, eyes down fixated on their own personal screens and sharing conversations mostly through social media.

Now, students look each other in the eyes. Friends meet in the yard, gather in the canteen, relax on the couches with boardgames, play sport – kids are talking and interacting with each other.

The school is filled with sounds of engagement, rather than the sounds of phones. It’s a different vibe and makes me feel positive we made the right decision to tighten our mobile phone policy.

Prior to introducing a total phone ban, students could use their phones at lunch and recess. During class times our policy was that phones were required to be “off and away”.

After consulting with our Governing Council and parents, we decided to build on our existing policy and implement the State Government’s phone ban from term 1, rather than waiting until term 3 when it’s formally implemented statewide.

We also wanted to ensure a smooth transition for our Year 7 students who have come from a primary school environment where school phone bans are already in place. We didn’t want to change this established pattern of behaviour at such an important transition point in their schooling.

For some of our students this has been a challenging time. Change is challenging, particularly for adolescents who are not in control of the change. It’s hard to feel like you’ve had something taken away – it’s actually a sense of loss for some students.

I initially expected some push-back on these changes but I’m proud of how our students have taken it all in their stride. They’ve faced this new change with maturity and an understanding of the overall benefits to them and our school community.

For some of our students, having the decision to engage 24/7 on social media removed as an option is a relief. They have a shared reality that from the hours between 8.15am and 3pm they can have a break from the relentlessness that is the social media cycle. They can step away from the competitiveness and pressures that social media brings.

Social media is designed to hook teenage brains with the reward system of likes and follows. They have little control over it and it’s exhausting for many of them. Taking that “pressure to perform” away has been one of the main reasons our students have been so co-operative. Many of the kids understand why phones are not always a useful tool in their lives, and for some this will help with the emotional fatigue that phones can trigger.

We’ve chosen to use Yondr pouches to implement the policy, which has also helped with the transition. We felt that, by removing temptation, the students would be more likely to succeed with the policy. We did not want to leave the students with the burden of managing any peer-related pressures, or their own impulse control without the added assistance the pouches provide.

It’s important that our students are being supported through this period, so we’ve encouraged positive discussion at home and within the wider school community.

Removing mobile phones from the schoolyard has also helped with a smoother transition into class time – a beneficial outcome for both our students and teachers. Instead of starting class with a reminder to put phones away, teachers can now commence with their lessons on a positive note and jump straight into the learning.

While students are not using their phones, they still have access to other technologies that support communication and collaboration. Limiting technology use to the school network means we can put in place protective processes while supporting students to learn how to navigate the internet safely. All while having access to the technology they need to learn and thrive in an educational setting.

And as an educator, school leader, parent and grandparent, I do believe that removing the pressure that comes with mobile phones, particularly the constant competitiveness of social media, significantly benefits our students making our school a safer, calmer, and happier environment.

Kathleen Hoare, principal, Findon High School