The "mobile phones in schools"

debate has heated up again and there are now demands for a blanket ban on having them in all schools across the country.

I know people who will agree and people who will disagree with this. Given that almost every student has access to a screen during class time I will simply go on wondering whether students really need a mobile phone during the school day. 

We managed without them of course. They did not exist when I was at school. I remember seeing one of the first mobile phones. The person who had it worked at the airport and it was part of her work role. We did not believe they would be popular simply because it was so big. 

My current mobile phone fits into a small pocket, almost like a fob pocket, on the style of jeans I prefer.  There are mobile phones which are smaller still but this is the smallest my clumsy paws can manage.  Nevertheless it is still small and I wonder how a ban would work when such small items exist. Perhaps it would take confiscation and detention to work? I don't know.

Recently a neighbour kept a child home for two days because he had to take some medication. He was well enough to attend school but the school policy did not allow someone to administer it to him. He could not leave it at the school office and then get it for himself because that again was asking the school to take responsibility for it. He was not permitted to take it and administer it to himself because "he might forget". 

A mobile phone might have allowed a parent to call and remind him but the school still did not want to take the responsibility for seeing medication was taken. In this case the child would have taken the medication without fuss. He did precisely that at home. He set the alarm clock and took it. A parent was watching out (while working from home) but he took the responsibility for himself. Some children are like that - but not all.  He did his schoolwork alone for two days before the recent school holidays. "I could just have taken the phone and Mum or Dad could have rung me to check," was his comment.

Mobile phones have their uses in those situations. I suspect they are not needed for the rest of the time, that students may be better off without them. There are screens for school work in all classrooms in this country. Actually talking face-to-face might have other advantages in the playground. I am wondering if it might help improve social interactions later in life too.