PREVENTING students from using their phones during the school day won’t “resolve the problem”, according to the Information Commissioner – who has warned that restricting children’s access to technology “could be quite dangerous”.
Paul Vane made the comments during a hearing of the Children, Education and
Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel, held as part of its review of how the Island protects children from potential harm caused by online platforms and digital content.
Last month it emerged that a new policy, that will prevent students at States schools and colleges from using their phones during the school day is due to come into force in September.
The restrictions will apply to all students up to the end of Key Stage 4.
Mr Vane told the Panel that the policy was “a step”, but added that: “It’ll be a mistake to say that it’s going to resolve the problem, because it won’t.”
He explained: “A lot of the activities around mobile phone usage happen outside of school, out of the control of both parents and school teachers.”
Mr Vane described the issue as “a difficult balance”.
“We came from an environment where we’ve learned to adopt technology into our lives. It didn’t exist when we were growing up,” he continued.
“These are digital natives. They rely on these tools to be able to educate themselves, whether that’s mainstream curriculum or whether it’s current affairs or politics or whatever it might be.
“So to remove their ability to interact with that resource could be quite dangerous to them and place them at risk of exclusion.”
Mr Vane also noted that there were “much broader issues beyond mobile phone usage in schools”.
“It’s difficult to control outside of that, but I do agree and I do understand the arguments that yes, it is necessary, because it’s a control mechanism.”
Later in the hearing, Mr Vane suggested that greater collaboration with tech companies and social media platforms would “help young people understand how to keep themselves safe online”.
