Nearly half of parents want mobile phones banned in schools

By Shayan Shakir
Just under half of parents (49%) in the UK believe that schools should ban mobile phones, a survey has revealed.
An eighth of parents also said that the schools their children go to have already banned them.
A survey of over 1,000 parents was carried out where people said, that the average price of gadgets carried to school by children was £301.
Last year culture secretary Matt Hancock said that he admired schools that had banned children from carrying mobile phones to school.
On the other hand, some have argued that having mobiles phones helps build skills such as self-regulation, and teaches children how to manage electronic devices.
The survey carried out by Opinium showed that the average value of gadgets that children are taking to school is continuing to rise.
It also revealed that parents spend about £13bn every year on phone bills racked up by their children.
Mobile expert at uSwitch, Ernest Doku, said: “The number of gadgets that schoolchildren are carrying into class every day is mind-boggling.”
Although some like Paul Howard-Jones, professor of neuroscience and education at the Unversity of Bristol may argue otherwise. In July 2018, he told the BBC that: “If school and education is about preparing us for that world, then learning how to use your mobile phone – when it’s appropriate when it’s not appropriate, is a very important part of that.”