Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on plans for stronger guidance for headteachers on mobile phone bans and a consultation to boost children’s wellbeing online.
“It is good news that the government is launching a consultation on children’s use of technology and that this will include looking at whether a social media ban for children would be effective. However, it does feel as though the government has been sluggish in its response to the risks posed by social media and online harms. We recognise that the Online Safety Act has now taken effect – and that is a good step forward – but there is clearly a much wider problem of children and young people spending far too much time on screens and being exposed to inappropriate content. This is not new and action should have been taken long ago.
“We look forward to seeing how the new guidance to schools builds on existing guidance which already says that the use of mobile phones should be prohibited throughout the school day. Ofsted’s involvement in policing these bans is all well and good but it would be more helpful for the government to provide schools with resources to support the safe and secure storage of mobile phones.
“Most schools operate a policy in which students are asked to keep their phones in bags and out of sight – but this, of course, means that teachers constantly have to be alert to pupils breaking the rules. There are products on the market which can be used to safely store mobile phones so that they cannot be used. However, this costs money and many schools are, frankly, completely cash-strapped.”