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Mobile phones are to be banned from Northern Territory government schools in a bid to reduce classroom distractions, bullying and mental health problems among young people.
Key questions:
- The change will take effect from 2023. 1 term
- Devices will need to be turned off and put away in high schools
- Mobile phones will be completely banned in primary schools
The ban, which follows other Australian state regulations, will come into force from 2023. 1st term.
Middle school students will be required to turn off and put away their devices during class.
They will be completely banned in primary schools.
“I strongly believe that banning mobile phones will see our students, our young people, become more engaged in social relationships, socializing at recess and lunchtime, rather than spending all their time on their phones,” said Education Minister Eva Lawler.
“For our teachers, it gives them more time to spend in the classroom instead of worrying about cell phone distractions.”
Exceptions to the rule may be allowed for research or medical purposes.
The move has been welcomed by educators who say phone use has become more disruptive in the past few years, in part due to the rise of youth-oriented social media platforms such as TikTok.
“Many of our educators spend a lot of time trying to figure out and work on issues that started at school and on social media,” said Nick Lovering of Katherine High School.
“We hope that by having strong policies in our schools, we can ensure that learning is the first priority in the classroom and that young people at school can take a break and respite from the constant pressure of their phones.”
The previous NT policy allowed individual schools to decide whether and how to restrict the devices, but Ms Lawler said the new one would ensure consistency.
Non-government schools will not be attracted by the policy, but the education minister urged them to follow the government’s lead.
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