Swiped: the school that banned smartphones

What platform is the documentary on? Maybe we’ll make a family movie night out of it….

@Dea it’s on channel 4. Very eye opening, I recommend every parent watches it

My son is starting prep next year and for the first term we pick them up from their classroom so that’s all fine. The rest of the year they are allowed to go meet their parents in the courtyard and when he’s old enough to walk home (we live behind the school it’s literally a 5min walk, safe brand new estate w new houses and working parents, the school itself is 2yrs new) without being picked up from the classroom I’ll be getting him a kids smart watch- he can make calls and msgs to who I put on there, and I can track his location. It also tracks his heartbeat and sleep and steps so it’s like a Fitbit for kids with tracking. That’s all he’ll need until high school. I think that’s all most kids need, not a whole phone. Watch stays on their hand also it cannot get lost, phones can.

Could not agree more. The trickiest part is getting EVERYONE on board- and early, while the kids are young!

@Trish very tricky, I’m curious as to why some people would say no…

I don't see a need for a kid to have a phone until they are consistently out without a parent, and that is just for safety and does not need to be a smart phone. I plan to go the family phone route and avoid personal phones as long as possible. But I have concerns with a ban because it seems like when things are banned people just find more ways to do the thing.

I agree. However, I feel like to a degree it's futile. My oldest didn't have a smart phone until he turned 15 (he had a basic phone since he started walking home from school). But he has had access to a computer for a lot longer. And even with no smart phone I feel like he behaved similarly to his peers. We plan on homeschooling our younger two. Not just because of smart phones but I think it's an added benefit. And I'll be the first to admit I'm addicted to my phone. It's something I'm working on. But I don't want my kids to be like that.

I am a teacher in middle school and half of the drama comes from phones and social media. We put our phones away for the day and that has helped tremendously that they still bring home tech issues to school. My oldest child is nine and I’m looking at holding out until 13 or 14.

They don’t allow phones in classrooms in our district. My kids aren’t allowed to have cell phones until they have jobs to pay for them (16+)

We haven't decided on age but my daughter will have a smart phone. It will be a Bark smart phone so it's monitored for her safety until she can make safe decisions on the Internet for herself. There's too many weirdos out there to not allow her access to help wherever she may need it. Smartphones aren't inherently bad, it's how we've adapted to using them that's bad.

I'm going to say no to phones until she's a teenager and catching the bus to high school. I also don't think it helps that computers and the internet are needed for most of homework throughout school. A different topic by my sister got told her son's handwriting is unreadable, my sisters reply but all the work you give everyone is to be completed on the school app or typed up

My daughter is only 4 so we're a good 10 years off her having a phone of any type right now but when she does eventually get one I will be making sure it's one I can have family link connected to, her phone will be parentally locked during school hours and there will be heavy restrictions on social media sites and Internet browsing ability.

Most kids have mobiles at age 11/12 when they start high school. The kids that have them earlier and I know there are two in my daughter’s year (she’s 8) their parents are separated. What parent hasn’t given their own phone to their child while shopping, or waiting for an appointment or at a restaurant. My asd son started off with a basic phone with no internet access. He didn’t even use it once the novelty wore off.

Iv only watched the first half of the first episode and im already shocked by what Iv heard. Definitely going to watch the rest and 100% going to think twice before giving my son a phone once he gets to that age. But a ban is the right way to go for me

Smart phones came about when I was like 14 maybe (my brain can't do maths right now) . I didn't get a smart phone till I was like 25. Honestly didn't feel like I missed out. A few kids got the iPhone when it came out and we all messed about on their phone. But phones where not allowed in class. You got found with your phone and it went in the draw and you'd get it back after class. If you kept being found with it in class it went to reception and you'd collect it after school. Phones are designed to be addictive so the longer you can go without one the better it is for your brain

I do and don’t agree.. I think social media should be banned/more controlled but an actual phone personally not. England is an awful place to be growing up in now, even worse so in London and I would want my son to have a phone to be able to call for help if need be.

@Elena it’s smart phones to be banned so anything that you can access apps and social media on. Brick phones etc are allowed for that exact reason. I agree I would like my boy to be able to contact me if needed but other stuff is unnecessary

Coming back to say, for a very long time my husband didn't have a smart phone, only a basic one. But now they are almost impossible to find or they are so horrible functionally that it just isn't feasible. I bought used ones off marketplace for awhile but then the networks started not supporting any of the earlier stuff like 3G or whatever. I feel like we've all been forced into smart phones. And a lot of people don't have landlines anymore so there comes a point where a kid needs a phone if they're going to be home alone, even for a short time.

@Rachel there are basic phones that aren’t smart phones, I wouldn’t say they’re hard to find I just typed brick phone on google and there’s loads. They also have some supporting 4G etc so I guess it depends on the one you get. I suppose you are seeing the dangers of a ‘just in case’ or ‘emergency’ if being left alone at home or out and about, but overlooking the real dangers that kids are exposed to while using a smartphone. I find it hard to accept that it’s just normality now when it’s never been the case before

I would be a ball of anxiety if my kids didn't have smart phones. They werent allowed out to play til they had them. With the smartphones I can see where they are at all times. We don't allow social media and thankfully, my kids have no interest in it. We also do random spot checks on phones to ensure there is nothing inappropriate in chats etc.