The Government is working towards an outright ban on smartphones in secondary schools, the Education Minister has confirmed.
Norma Foley said the plan is an extension of the State’s current efforts to encourage parents to avoid buying smartphones for primary school children.
The Government approved plans last year to roll out resources to support parents in developing voluntary codes around smartphone use among primary school children.
Minister Norma Foley told The Hard Shoulder she wants to look at an outright ban at second-level.
"I'm keen to introduce a ban on the use of mobile phones in our schools at post-primary level," she said.
"I think all of the evidence is pointing to the needs to do this.
"Studies have shown that where mobile phones are not in use throughout the day in school it improves learning opportunities, it tackles classroom disruption and obviously the whole issue of cyberbullying is such an important one as well."
Minister Foley said her department will be working with schools to implement the smartphone ban.
"I think we need to create a very clear culture across all of our schools, particularly because the issue seems to be [worst] at post-primary, where mobile phone usage is not acceptable during school hours," she said.
"We will be working with schools to support them in that regard, so that we would not have mobile phones in use during school hours [and] there would be a ban during the school day".
Emojis on a smartphone. Image: Rosemary Roberts / Alamy Stock PhotoMinister Foley said work is also continuing around phone restrictions at primary level.
"We have done a lot of work in this space, we have a significant programme being rolled out now in our primary schools where we're encouraging parents to keep childhood smartphone-free," she said.
"I've met with mobile phone providers; I've met with the social media platforms.
"I think we've come to a point now [where] more and more we're seeing issues around mobile phones in the hands of young people."
A United Nations report last year called for smartphones to be banned in schools worldwide around concerns about their excessive use.
The UN's educational agency UNESCO says the over-use of mobile phones impacts on learning.
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