‘Major teen freak-out’: School squares up to student phone addiction with new ban

An elite school has caused “panic” among pupils for tightening and enforcing its mobile phone ban, but many question if the restrictions will make a dent in mounting rate of screen addiction.

Phone bans have been tightened at elite Melbourne school Wesley College. Picture: Wesley College, Facebook

An elite private college has caused “panic” among pupils for tightening and enforcing its mobile phone ban.

Wesley College, which has campuses in Glen Waverley, Elsternwick and St Kilda, has banned all on-campus phone use among its years five to nine cohort, saying its aim was to promote “healthier social interactions” and enhance engagement in the classroom.

In a letter to families last week, Wesley College head of middle school Kate Kelly said all middle school students were now required to keep their phones in their lockers from the time they arrive on campus until they leave at the end of the school day.

Wesley College students will be required to keep their phones in lockers throughout the school day.

“For clarity, this means middle school students are no longer permitted to use their phones on campus before or after school hours,” Ms Kelly said.

“Please note students are still able to use their mobile phone for cafe purchases but the phones are not to be used in the Café line and are to be returned directly to lockers after the purchase has been made,” she said.

The Herald Sun has been told students have been angered by the stronger enforcement of the ban, labelling it as “unfair” and “heavy-handed”.

“I just don’t understand why they need to enforce the ban now – four years after the public school phone ban, it has caused unnecessary panic among students,” one parent said.

“The problem is that they (students) will find a way to still use their phones or chat on social media via their iPads,” she said.

Another source said: “Major teen freak-outs have ensued.”

All state schools applied the phone ban from the start of 2020, requiring students to have their mobile phones switched off and securely stored during school hours, including lunchtimes.

At state schools, wearable and personal devices such as headphones and iPads are excluded from the ban, although students are supposed to have them turned off.

Some schools have included these items in their broader ban.

The mobile phone policy, which has been widely adopted in many private schools, has some exceptions including for use in class for learning and for children with a disability.

Ms Kelly added the school recognised the importance of balancing technology use with overall wellbeing and continued to take steps to reduce excessive screen time in the lives of its students.

“By limiting phone usage during the day, we aim to promote healthier social interactions, ensure students are ready to learn and enhance engagement in the classroom.

“I ask that you encourage your child to embrace this change positively and that they use their time before and after school to connect face-to-face, explore the library’s resources, or simply take a moment to recharge.”

Wesley College head of middle school Kate Kelly said the phone ban would “promote healthier social interactions”.

It comes as new OECD data released last week showed the cost of mobile phone addiction was mounting for Australian teens, with nearly half of all students who are online in class getting substantially lower grades in maths.

Wesley College did not respond to questions from the Herald Sun.

Originally published as ‘Major teen freak-out’: School squares up to student phone addiction with new ban