Extended device ban – PV media comment

ABC News reported recently on the extension of Victoria’s device ban in schools. Students were banned from bringing smartphones to public schools in 2020, and the ban is now being widened. The article begins:

The Victorian government is extending the device ban in Victorian classrooms to include smartwatches and headphones.
The device ban will also apply to Catholic and independent schools, with the government saying those schools asked to be included in the policy.
Smartphones have been banned in public schools since 2020 and the government said the policy had been a success.

Parents Victoria CEO Gail McHardy is quoted in the article:

The extension of the devices ban has been cautiously welcomed by Parents Victoria, which supports parents of students in public schools.
But chief executive Gail McHardy said students should be involved in how such policies were introduced at schools.
“The mobile phone ban, by most reports, has reduced distraction and improved students’ connection, but we have always advocated that co-designing and student-led consultation is still critically important in those policy changes,” she told ABC Radio Melbourne.
“If you want to have the most impact and implement effectively, especially in a school environment, it’s really important to take the students along with you on that journey.”
She said the views of parents were “mixed” on the effectiveness of the ban on devices in classrooms.
“I know many support reducing distractions, but there are still some concerns about how broad the ban goes and if it’s shifting too much responsibility onto schools instead of working in partnerships with families,” she said.
“There are still parents out there who think it’s a personal responsibility and that we all need to be lifting our game in that space.”

Read the full article on ABC News website