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Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools

theguardian.com

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Re: Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools

#91

Post by eru »

dotnet00 wrote: post #50

Going against HN's usual anti-smartphone thing, I think this is incredibly dumb. Luckily no one really cares much about what UNESCO calls for. Outright bans on smartphones in schools are no different from the video game, TV screen time, "kids will only play games on computers" and other related superstitions that were in vogue back in the early 2000s. All they did was make parents feel validated (without having to pu…

I think this would be incredibly dumb, because global bans are incredibly dumb.

If individual schools (or even individual counties etc) want to try a ban like that, they can experiment. I don't know whether it's a good idea or not.

But I do know that a global ban is beyond silly.

Re: Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools

#92

Post by erfgh »

theshrike79 wrote: post #69
Beldur wrote: post #8

Not sure about you guys, but I plan to not give my kids a phone until they reach at least the age of 14 (7 and 3 atm) Is this realistic? Any experiences?

It's like prohibition, the forbidden fruit. Denial will only increase the want. It's better to teach moderation early than it is to try to curb the want for 7+ years. My kid has had an iPad from age 1 or so, with kiosk mode enabled and a baby game that made funny noises when they slapped the screen. They got a phone at age 7, just before starting first grade. No Youtube, no TikTok and screen time enforced per categor…

I don't want to be that guy but this sounds horrible. You shouldn't treat reading as a chore or as something you have to do in order to watch TV. I think it's better if you let them watch TV for 1-2 hours per day and that's it. Let them read if they want to, don't force them like that.

Re: Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools

#93

Post by asoneth »

Beldur wrote: post #8

Not sure about you guys, but I plan to not give my kids a phone until they reach at least the age of 14 (7 and 3 atm) Is this realistic? Any experiences?

I cannot overstate how difficult it is to do this solo. Being the only person in a friend group who does not have a phone results in pretty severe ostracization, especially for preteens and teens who do not yet have a strong sense of self. It means being left out of conversations, invitations, discussions, jokes, parties, homework questions, etc.

Having said that, you are early enough that you still have time to convince the other parents in their grade cohort to take a pledge like "Wait Until 8th" https://www.waituntil8th.org/ (In the US, 8th grade is 13-14 years old.) This provides a kind of "herd immunity" as long as you get enough families on board.

And if your school does not already have them in place you can advocate for anti-cell-phone policies which minimize classroom time as a potential vector.

Be forewarned that you may not be successful unless you are also willing to cut social ties with families who cave in and give their kids phones before then.

Re: Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools

#94

Post by eru »

brigadier132 wrote: post #67
falcolas wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> playing video games in the middle of class. Laughs in GameBoy. Seriously, you have to be elder gen x or older to exist in a time where handheld consoles of some flavor were not available. And there’s always been other forms of entertainment, be it passing notes, talking, or daydreaming.

My teacher would have ripped the gameboy out of my hand and confiscated it for the rest of the school year. Teachers do not that have that kind of freedom today. Also, if your argument is "gameboy existed". People just did not use it as much. Today smartphone usage in class is rampant. Also gameboy games were not anywhere near as addicting as games and social media are today.

> My teacher would have ripped the gameboy out of my hand and confiscated it for the rest of the school year. Teachers do not that have that kind of freedom today.

Well, how are teachers supposed to enforce a ban on smartphones, then?

Re: Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools

#95

Post by ryder9 »

rainclouds wrote: post #79
retrac wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> My 12 year old can take the subway to school by himself, but ONLY if he has a phone in case he ends up in some wackadoodle situation where his train has gone express or is on another train line and he needs to call his lifeline (me!) to figure out how to work it out. I was taking the subway to school by myself at 12 in Toronto (maybe a slightly less intense city, to be fair). I'm not sure about NYC but in Toronto i…

Turning red is accurate /verified. The only place I’ve personally witnessed wide spread mass transit use for youth in school is Japan. Totally normal and feels safe.

yeah.. definitely no mass female groping problems.. hell even guys are being groped nowadays from what ive been told

Re: Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools

#96

Post by porcupinepig »

The smartphone is the greatest education tool in perhaps ever. All the world’s information available immediately on a handheld device. The stuff of magic. Taking this away from anyone, especially children who will benefit the most from this amazing resource, is tantamount to child abuse.

Re: Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools

#97

Post by pkdpic »

xwdv wrote: post #75
dotnet00 wrote: post #50

Going against HN's usual anti-smartphone thing, I think this is incredibly dumb. Luckily no one really cares much about what UNESCO calls for. Outright bans on smartphones in schools are no different from the video game, TV screen time, "kids will only play games on computers" and other related superstitions that were in vogue back in the early 2000s. All they did was make parents feel validated (without having to pu…

Stop making teachers jobs harder. They are overworked and underpaid as is, and now asking them to fight for attention with a kids smartphone in class just creates a hostile adversarial relationship with their students, that harms the learning process. An outright ban will make their job easier.

Yes, please just listen to teachers and make their jobs easier. I know passionate driven teachers who have walked away from teaching because of smartphones in the classroom. Its such a stupid exhausting never ending battle. Teaching is hard enough.

Re: Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools

#98

Post by Knee_Pain »

nottorp wrote: post #12
gonzo41 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, that fits. Leave the phone at home, or in a locker and go to class. How is that not also helping with self control?

That's eliminating the temptation forcefully, not training to ignore it.

Yes, eliminating the temptation is the first thing to do.

How do you expect someone to stop binge eating if they have the kitchen full of prepackaged foods?

Re: Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools

#99

Post by prmoustache »

verve_rat wrote: post #64
bgribble wrote: post #42

My kid just graduated from a NYC high school that had a complete ban on phones in school. The kids checked in their phones at the front desk on the way in and got them back when leaving. It was by no means watertight -- many (most?) kids had a "burner" phone that was dead or broken or whatever that they turned in (because nobody would believe a highschooler who said they didn't have their phone with them lol) and the…

Did 12 year olds take the subway to school 20, 30 years ago? (Genuinely asking, never lived in a place with a subway, but took the bus all the time at that age.)

Around here 6y old kids take the bus.

Re: Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools

#100

Post by cubefox »

obscurette wrote: post #83
verve_rat wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did 12 year olds take the subway to school 20, 30 years ago? (Genuinely asking, never lived in a place with a subway, but took the bus all the time at that age.)

I can't tell about NYC, but they certainly did in Europe and still do. It's probably not too common though, most of kids have school close to their home.

What does close mean? So close that they can walk there instead of using the subway?
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