Time.news – UK schools could soon become mobile phone free zones. Education Minister Gavin Williamson announced his intention on Monday to forbid its use to students up to 18 years old
The initiative follows a debate that began a few months ago on the relationship between the very young and social media during the pandemic. The hours spent playing video games or attending social media have in fact increased considerably, with a consequent increase in the phenomena of so-called online bullying.
The minister has launched a consultation on this issue, which will last six weeks, intogether with representatives of parents and teachers. “Cell phones are not only a source of distraction – said Williamson – their improper or excessive use can in fact damage the mental health of a student”. “I want to put an end to this by eliminating cell phones during school hours,” he concluded.
The issue of adolescent mental well-being came to the fore earlier this year thanks to a report produced by the Research Institute for Education and the charity founded by the Prince of Wales to help vulnerable young people.
According to the study, elementary school children have a very similar level of well-being and self-esteem towards the age of fourteen, and especially in girls, there is a sharp decline. It is towards that age that more and more teenagers feel depressed or hopeless. This would be partly due to less mobility, to which the lockdown has contributed, and partly to increasingly taking refuge in the virtual world of social media.
Williamson’s initiative wants to stem the phenomenon during school hours but it is not certain that the initiative will encounter no obstacles. Not all principals agree and consider this matter a minor issue compared to the enormous challenges facing the school due to the pandemic.
The Association of British Schools and Colleges has made it known that many institutions already have their own restrictive policy with respect to the use of mobile phones and that the matter should be handled locally and not by Wesminister.
According to Sarah Hannafin, a councilor of the Naht school leaders’ union, banning cell phones could even have the opposite effect. Whether Williamson will be able to carry out his crusade against cell phones will therefore only be known at the end of the six weeks of consultation, which, however, do not seem to have begun with unanimity of intent.
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