Minister working on plans to ban mobile phones in secondary schools

The Department of Education published guidelines for parents last year, as part of an initiative to ‘keep childhood smartphone free’.

The Fianna Fail minister is set to go further to reduce the use of mobile phones in schools (Yui Mok/PA)

Mobile phones could be banned in secondary schools under plans being considered by the education minister.

Norma Foley said she is looking into introducing a ban on mobiles in post-primary schools.

The Department of Education published guidelines for parents last year, as part of an initiative to “keep childhood smartphone free”.

The Fianna Fail minister is set to go further to reduce the use of mobile phones in schools.

Norma Foley said she is looking into introducing a ban on mobiles in post-primary schools (Jane Barlow/PA)

Speaking at Ardscoil Ris in north Dublin, Ms Foley said that the Government has done a “huge body of work” around mobile phones.

“I’ve met with mobile phone providers, I’ve met with the social media platforms and we will continue to educate both at primary and at post-primary, but I am now in a space where I’m saying … looking to introduce a ban on the mobile phone at post-primary,” the Kerry TD said.

“I think we’re very conscious of the world in which we live. All studies, including, for example the United Nations study last year, telling us that mobile phones interrupt learning in a school environment.

“Obviously they’re a cause of cyber bullying and we know too the conversation, the integration, the community of conversation that’s so important in school, is very much interrupted by the fact that students take out their mobile phones at different times.

Free schoolbooks scheme — Minister for Education Norma Foley, with Principal John McHugh, during a visit to Ardscoil Ris in Dublin (Brian Lawless/PA)

“But I want to be clear, schools are doing a huge body of work on the ground in relation to this.

“All of them would have policies in relation to appropriate use of the mobile phone. But equally so, I meet principals who tell me, the mobile phone, even though students keep it in their bag, the beeping of it is an interruption to study.

“It’s a continuous hum almost in the background.

“I’m very clear that I think we need to establish in our schools a culture of non-acceptance of the mobile phone.

“Moving forward now with the band working with our schools on mobile phones, particularly in post primary, it’s not the issue really in the primary, in that they’re not using them particularly during school hours in the primary.”