Labor leader Chris Minns would ban mobile phones in school to help kids learn and stay safe

A number of high schools have already chosen to ban students using mobile phones. Labor Leader Chris Minns would make it mandatory— and Daily Telegraph readers are all for it.

Mobile phones would be banned in public schools if Labor wins the state election in a bid to improve results and keep teenagers safer online— and readers of The Daily Telegraph are all for it.
In our poll, almost 400 readers weighed in on whether mobile phone bans should be instated in NSW high schools.
An overwehlming 85 per cent were in support of the move.
It comes as Premier Dominic Perrottet has defended the existing policy in schools, claiming some students need access to their phones to learn.

Mr Perrottet said mobile phones are already banned in “70 per cent” of schools.

Labor has made an election promise to ban phones in schools . Pic Liam Driver

The Premier defended his government’s failure to ban mobiles in high schools, saying that they may be necessary in “certain circumstances”.

However he said that “kids should not be on phones in schools, they should be focused on their work”.

“That’s generally what we have in our state,” he said.

“They’re banned in primary schools,” he said.

The Labor election pledge would see high school students have their phones turned off and out of sight during the school day, answering the pleas of tens of thousands of parents who have signed a petition calling for the school day to be phone-free.

Phones are already banned in primary schools, but a Labor government would extend that to high-school students, amid concerns that phone use is dragging down academic standards and exposing teenagers to a higher risk of cyber-bullying.

Premier Dominic Perrottet. Picture: Gaye Gerard.

The ban would form part of a broader move to develop comprehensive eSafety programs focusing on ethical online behaviour, data privacy, and critical thinking.

The policy announcement also comes amid increased scrutiny on high-schoolers use of social media following The Daily Telegraph’s exposé on Knox Grammar students posting vile content on a secret chat room.

Labor Leader Chris Minns’ policy goes further than the Coalition government, which has allowed high school principals to set their own rules.

That policy was set following a 2018 review which called for a “mandatory digital licence for all students in NSW,” in a recommendation which the government rejected.

While some schools have imposed their own phone ban, Labor’s policy would apply in public high schools statewide.

NSW Labor Leader Chris Minns is calling for a ban on mobile phones in schools. Picture: David Swift

A study of school mobile phone policies overseas from 2015 found that banning the devices helped increase academic performance, particularly among lower-performing students.

Local academics have also linked phone-related distraction to declining international education rankings.

“As a parent of three children myself, I’m worried about the impact of phones and devices on our kids,” Labor Leader Chris Minns told The Daily Telegraph.

“Limiting phone use in schools will help cut distractions, deal with cyber-bullying and help students catch up academically.”

A petition earlier this year calling on the government to ban mobile phones in high schools attracted more than 20,000 signatures.

Exemptions would apply for special circumstances, like students who need phones to monitor a medical condition or who have permission to use it for learning.

Mr Minns said his policy will “help teachers to teach and students to learn in a focused and supportive environment.”

“Our kids are the first generation to be fully immersed in this technology, so we cannot be sure what the impacts will be on their young, developing minds.”

The impact of young men’s immersion in technology was made clear when The Daily Telegraph revealed vile messages being shared among students at Knox Grammar.

He said vile chat room messages posted by Knox students revealed by The Telegraph last week show “why we need a review into the impact of technology on children.”

“What is said online can be as harmful as what is said in real life,” he said.

Psychologist Jocelyn Brewer said that restricting teenagers’ use of mobile phones will help them gain “positive learning habits (and) improve their potential for success”.

She backed Labor’s commitment to a review of eSafety programs to keep kids safe online.

“Creating both unambiguous boundaries around appropriate use and a commitment to delivering digital media literacy skills will empower young people to use smartphones in a safer, savvier way,” she said.