Do kids have a right to use their phones at school? This proposal is using prison technology to ban them.

Mobile phones continue to be a distraction for kids and teachers in high schools across Australia. 

NSW Premier Chris Minns has today announced there will be a total phone ban in schools from the end of 2023.

South Australia banned mobiles from all 44 of its public high school classrooms earlier this year.

Last month, then Shadow Education Minister Prue Car confirmed with The Daily Telegraph they are looking into a proposal from Educell to use the same phone 'jamming' technology currently used in prisons in classrooms.

"NSW Labor is committed to banning the use of mobile phones and welcomes initiatives that can help deliver this outcome," Ms Car told The Daily Telegraph at the time.

"We know we need to act on phones in schools to end disruption, improve student focus and behaviour and ensure teachers can focus on teaching."

The state-of-the-art jamming technology, which is being used successfully in Lithgow and Goulburn prisons, would prevent kids connecting to social media or games in certain locations, but would allow them to reconnect once outside of school buildings. Teachers and children who need their phone for medical reasons could remain connected to the network.

Several independent schools support the proposed plan from Labor and it is also currently before the federal government.

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Killara High in Sydney, one of the states' top-performing public schools, is among the latest to sign up to the Yondr pouch system that securely locks phones away during school hours.

In a statement on their Facebook page, a representative for Killara High said their decision to ban phones heralds a new beginning for the school.

"Students are encouraged to focus on themselves, their learning and their wellbeing - and to be here - now, without their mobile phone as a distraction," the statement reads.

"Our students are taking control of their technology and not allowing technology to control them.

"It was certainly louder in the playground today. Laughter, conversations, positive energy and strengthening of friendships - everywhere. And not a phone in sight! Teachers reported positive gains in the classroom."

The momentum to ban smartphones in NSW high schools began building after Michael Carr-Gregg, the lead author of a 2018 review into the issue, said last year that an outright ban is 'more urgent than ever'.

"Banning phones in high schools from first bell to last, including recess and lunch, would be an investment in students' mental health," Carr-Gregg told The Sydney Morning Herald in 2022.

"Kids have been saturated in technology and psychological problems have accumulated."

High school teacher Ms Williams* agrees with the need for a blanket smartphone ban for the sake of the students. 

She says that at the private school in Victoria where she teaches, phones are supposed to be in lockers all day, but that this isn't the reality.

"Our school has a mobile phones in lockers policy but 90 per cent of the time, kids just have their phones in their pocket," she told Mamamia.

"I've been teaching for over 12 years and students don't have an attention span like they used to. It has absolutely changed. Smartphones are designed to be addictive, and it is hard enough for adults to deal with them, let alone teenage brains that are not fully developed.

"The emphasis on banning phones needs to go back to the top as it is not fair on teachers to have to police it all the time. We are busy enough and we can't constantly tell students to put their phones away. It just doesn't work. 

"While most kids I deal with are respectful when I catch them scrolling on social media and ask them to 'hand it over', some get verbally aggressive. They are addicts and don't want to part with the phone. So it becomes about choosing my battles. I simply don't have the time or the energy to always have the same fight."

While most high schools have some rules around phone usage during the school day, more schools like Killara High are banning them altogether. 

Davidson High School in Sydney requires all students in Years 7-10 to put their phones into the locked Yondr pouches for the entire school day.

Principal David Rule told the Sydney Morning Herald last year that in eight weeks of banning the devices, there has been a 90 per cent reduction in behavioural issues related to phones in the school. 

Mum-of-two boys Bec told Mamamia that she fully supports her sons' school in their strict approach to phone use.

"I have two boys in high school (year 8 and year 12) and their phones are kept in their lockers during the school day," Bec shared.

"I 100 percent support the school in this as phones are a distraction that kids don’t need. Having a blanket rule means teachers aren’t wasting time trying to stop kids using them in class and kids aren’t preoccupied with their phones."

While some parents are happy to support schools restricting phone use, others are banding together to delay the age that kids get smartphones altogether.

The Heads Up Alliance is a growing movement of Australian families who are concerned about the harmful effects of social media and smartphones on children. Co-founders and parents Dany and Cynthia Elachi began the community after becoming concerned about their daughter's phone usage.

"We originally gave our daughter a smartphone when she was in Year 5, but we immediately saw how damaging it was to her free time and how much less engaged she was with family," Cynthia recalled.

"When the phone broke, we decided not to replace it. She wasn't happy of course, but childhood is so fleeting, so we just wanted her to enjoy it for longer. She was worried about it ending her social connections with friends but it didn't. She still uses a laptop for school work and sees her friends at school.

"We knew we couldn't be the only parents who wanted to delay the effects of smartphones on our kids, so that's how the Heads Up Alliance began."

The Heads Up Alliance wrote to the NSW Education Department and private school bodies such as Sydney Catholic Schools to demand greater restrictions on phones in high schools. 

"If Michael Carr Gregg, the lead author of that review, has changed his mind on the phones issue, I think it's something that the department really needs to pay attention to," Dany said.

"We are not anti-tech but we just think that the smartphone is an insidious device. Not only are they distracting, they facilitate bullying and escalate the risk of anxiety and depression. 

"Teams of smart tech experts and psychologists intentionally design phones and apps to be addictive and as adults we struggle to create boundaries. How can we possibly expect our young people to be a match for them?"

Lily is a student in Year 12 at a Catholic high school in regional NSW. Her school has a classroom phone ban, but like teacher Ms Williams observed at her school, the reality is very different. 

"There is a supposed policy, but it mostly isn't enforced and it's ignored by students," Lily shared.

"Teachers only enforce the 'policy' when students are not doing work, otherwise we can usually just get away with it."

While Lily acknowledges her phone is a distraction, she doesn't think taking them away will help the students not invested in learning.

"I am invested in my grades and know that my phone is a distraction in the classroom, but I do prefer to have it. Phones are most distracting to those who aren’t interested in the class material or the subject, so taking them away will not make students suddenly interested and motivated to complete classwork. 

"Instead of locking up phones as soon as you walk into school, I think they should be outside of each classroom so that we can still use them when needed without distracting us in classrooms." 

Mum-of-two Barbara is happy that one of her teenager's schools has taken a more flexible approach.

"The school fosters a culture of self-regulation and respect," Barbara shared.

"That is, the students CHOOSE to turn off their mobile phones as part of the agreed terms. Teachers are well respected NOT just obeyed.

"It means my son can listen to music while studying to block out disruption, students can search things on Google, and my kids can text me if needed, even if it's for last-minute permissions for school-related activities. I would rather instil choice, consequence, and self-monitoring to assist them to make healthy decisions into adulthood."

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Mum Julie Anne hopes that schools maintain a flexible approach to make allowances for students with a variety of healthcare needs. 

"My son wears a continuous glucose monitor to help monitor blood glucose levels and prevent dangerous highs and lows as a person living with Type 1 Diabetes," Julie Anne shared.

"This system uses a mobile phone as a receiver and in high school we’ll rely on the capacity to text to help him self-manage and stay safe. I don’t see why it has to be all or nothing. There are a range of instances where children and young people need phone access for their wellbeing."

Dany and Cynthia of The Heads Up Alliance don't think that anyone would object to a student having a phone if it was for healthcare reasons.

"For the vast majority, a restriction on mobile phone use during the day just makes sense. Clearly no one would have an issue with kids who need their phones to check their blood glucose levels - it doesn't have to be completely black or white. I don't think any of the schools who have restricted mobile phone usage on their premises have made it that strict. 

"What we're hoping for is that schools ban phones so that kids can focus better in class and also enjoy building face-to-face real-life relationships at lunch and recess instead of staring at screens. To us, the positives of a phone ban outweigh everything else, it's a no-brainer."

Teacher Ms Williams in Victoria agrees things need to change. Not just for classroom behaviour and learning, but for the social aspect of school life. 

"I walked into the senior school common area early the other Monday morning and there were maybe seven or eight kids there. Ten years ago when I started teaching, I would have been chatting with them and having a cup of tea. They would have been asking each other about weekend. 

"On this morning last week however, every single student was on their phone. They were all looking at their screens, not interacting with each other.

"It's sad and we need big changes. I can keep confiscating phones from individual kids, but real change will only occur if the whole school policy changes from the very top. I hope it happens."

* Some names have been changed for privacy reasons.

This article was originally published in August 2022 and has been updated with new information on February 2023 and March 2023.

Laura Jackel is Mamamia's Family Writer. For links to her articles and to see photos of her outfits and kids, follow her on Instagram and TikTok. 

Feature Image: Getty

This story was updated on April 3, 2023.

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