Five years on, Madonna King would ‘fight like hell’ to impose school mobile phone ban

The Education Minister has been slammed for using an out-dated report to justify not banning mobile phones in schools. VOTE IN THE POLL

The state government’s excuse not to ban mobile phones in schools has fallen apart after the chair of a taskforce whose report is being relied on to slap down the move said a ban was now urgently needed.

Education Minister Grace Grace has repeatedly said a key reason not to follow other states in imposing the ban was because the State Government’s Anti-Cyberbullying Taskforce, established five years ago in the wake of bullied teenager Dolly Everett’s death, did not support the move.

The State Government’s Anti-Cyberbullying Taskforce chair Madonna King.

But the Taskforce’s chair, Madonna King, has revealed she would “fight like hell” to impose a ban now and says it is “irresponsible and dangerous” for the government to rely on a report from five years ago to make decisions today.

“If it was reconvened, I’d fight like hell for a ban being imposed,” Ms King, an author of several teenage books, said.

“Five years is a long time and an awful lot has changed. We should not use old evidence to substantiate a viewpoint.”

Queensland now stands to be the only state to not ban phones, with Ms Grace saying last week it created more problems.

Ms King said for governments to rely on an outdated report did no favours for children, “or anyone”.

“If it was reconvened, I’d fight like hell for a ban being imposed,” Ms King said.

“Five years is a long time and an awful lot has changed. We should not use old evidence to substantiate a viewpoint.”

Ms King said the amount of children with access to smart phones had “skyrocketed” since 2018 making kids addicted to their devices and overreliant on them for communication.

Fellow experts say smart phones in the classroom created unnecessary distractions and lead to a rise in violence in schools.

Ms King said the increased use social media had created escalating trends among youths self harming or attempting suicide.

“We now have pictures of young girls dancing being uploaded onto public social media accounts, for anyone in the world to see and track. That didn’t happen five years ago,” Ms King said.
“Neither did sextortion, or the regular filming of vicious fights so that teens can get more ‘likes’, or the levels of self-harm and school refusal, anxiety and body image problems.

“Children as young as seven are being given smart phones now, and I haven’t met a child under 12 who knows how to use them responsibly. How can a seven-year-old have the critical thinking skills to deal with what they see?”

Education Minister Grace Grace Picture: Richard Walker

Ms Grace said she noted Ms King’s comments and that she would continue ongoing discussions with schools and the Education Department about it.

“Principals in Queensland state schools can already ban phones in their classrooms and schools. Many have, and they are fully supported to do so,” Ms Grace said.

“Circumstances can vary widely in different schools which is why principals, in consultation with their school communities, make decisions about the use of phones in their schools.”

Queensland Teachers Union vice president Leah Olsson said state schools were diverse in nature in that some had problems with mobile phones while others do not.

“Our members manage a range of complex behaviours and the union believes school leaders have appropriate experience to develop mobile phone policies that suit their individual schools, these policies will of course vary,” Ms Olsson said.

“The very purpose for students to be at school is to learn and technological devices, including phones, can support that.”

Ms Olsson said any changes to mobile phone policies would need significant support for schools and guidance from parents and carers to give students clear instructions on how to use them appropriately within school rules and guidelines.

Respected child psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg last week said labelled the decision to leave bans up to principals as a “cop-out” as parents and school staff were looking for leadership on the issue.