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4 months ago
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Eton College has banned new pupils from bringing smartphones into school - and will issue them with a basic Nokia handset instead.
The elite £52,000-a-year private school has written to families of its next cohort of Year 9 students to warn them of the new policy, which will begin in September.
The world-famed establishment - whose pupils have included Princes William and Harry - has become the latest college to join the clampdown on smartphones.
It comes amid raising concerns over the impact the hi-tech devices are having on children's behaviour and mental health.
In a letter to parents, Mike Grenier, Eton's deputy head overseeing pastoral care, said new boarders aged 13 should have their smart devices taken home after its SIM card is transferred to an offline Nokia headset, that can only make calls and send texts.
Eton has banned new pupils from bringing smartphones into school in a new crackdown (file photo)
The elite £52,000-a-year private school has written to families and said pupils will be given a basic Nokia model that can't access the internet, which SIM cards can be placed into
Eton currently doesn't allow younger boys to have their phones on them during the day, and those teens in the first three years of the college must hand in their devices at night.
The latest crackdown on smartphones, which will apply to those in the first year of school - Year 9 - has already been trialled in boarding houses, Mr Grenier said.
'When used responsibly and in moderation, [smartphones] can be a key part of life for the modern teenager and can create positive social networks and give access to news and views from around the world,' he said, reported the Telegraph.
'However, despite these positives, there are also associated challenges and potential areas for concern, especially around socialisation, misuse and overuse and the impact on both mental and physical health.'
Eton added if a child did need a smartphone, it could be stored with staff, with the school already issuing iPads to pupils to use for their studies - with 'age-appropriate controls' in place.
The world-famed establishment (pictured) - whose pupils have included Princes William and Harry - has become the latest college to join the clampdown on smartphones
A number of other private schools are also cracking down on smartphone use by introducing tighter rules for the September intake.
While some, like Alleyn’s in Dulwich, south London, are going even further and calling on parents not to buy the devices for young children at all.
At the independent Brighton College, Year 7 pupils aged 11 will not be able to have phones that can access the internet on site from September, while offline phones will be locked away during the day.
A similar rule is being introduced at Thomas's in Battersea, south London, which was attended by Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
But other areas are going further still. In the communities of Greystones and neighbouring Delgany, near Dublin, Ireland. 95 per cent of the 22,000 residents have banned their children from owning phones until at least the age of 12.
It means most of the area's 3,500 primary school pupils are phone-free.
Rachel Harper, headteacher of St Patrick's National School in Greystones, spearheaded the initiative to to withhold phones from children.
'I've had calls from Australia, camera crews from the US, France and Scandinavia,' says Ms Harper. 'On one level it's amazing as we're just this little school, but on the other hand it tells me that this is a global issue: it doesn't matter where you live, parents have the same concerns.'
Rachel Harper, headteacher of St Patrick's National School in Greystones, near Dublin, has spearheaded the initiative to to withhold phones from children
Meanwhile in England, St Albans has echoed the clampdown, with some 20 local headteachers having called for the Hertfordshire city to become Britain's first smartphone-free area for children under the age of 14.
In a letter to parents, headteachers branded the devices 'highly addictive' and urged parents not to give their youngster's such hi-tech device.
Instead, they urged parents to opt for a basic 'brick' which allows children to contact their family when needed – but have encouraged them to hold off on smartphones which allow access to the internet, social media and an endless library of apps.
'The use of smartphones is now a feature of daily life for most adults and over the last few years the age at which children are given their first smartphone has dropped significantly,' the headteachers wrote in May of this year.
'We know that in our schools some children as young as Key Stage 1 have smartphones. Whilst smartphones can be a very helpful piece of technology for adults, they can equally expose children to a number of negative risks.'
They continued: 'In a world where fast-changing technology is actually impacting the development of our children’s brains, it is up to us to stand up for them, and their futures. If not us, then who?'
Parents and grandparents living in St Albans leant their support to the initiative, hailing it a 'good idea'.
Mother Ariana Stanciu, 33, said: 'I've seen the letter and I completely agree. I don't think kids should go anywhere near a smartphone until at least the age of 14.'
Grandmother Sian Jay, 61, echoed these thoughts, adding: 'I do think it's a case of the longer you can hold off with the phones, the better.
St Albans is bidding to become Britain's first smartphone-free city for children aged under 14
Grandmother Sian Jay, 61, said in St Albans: 'I think it would be impressive to not let your kids have a phone until 14 – but I do think it's good as I worry for children'
'You hear awful things about what children end up seeing online – and there's a lot of concern around social media and mental health.
'I also think that I have adult children and I see how phones affect them. So just imagine what it's like for children.'
Smartphones have been linked to poor mental health, depression and low self-esteem, especially in young teenagers.
And a recent Unesco Global Education Monitoring report showed children can take up to 20 minutes to concentrate once disturbed by a notification on their phone.
Smartphones can also expose children to harmful content including pornography - and can lead to youngsters being groomed and targeted by paedophiles online.
Smartphones 'expose children to negative risks': The full letter
This is the full letter sent by the St Albans Primary Schools Consortium:
We understand the importance of being able to contact your child as they become more independent, walking to and from school, in order to give you peace of mind and for children to be able to call in emergencies.
Children’s phones do not need to have access to the internet in order for you to keep them safe however.
The use of smartphones is now a feature of daily life for most adults and over the last few years the age at which children are given their first smartphone has dropped significantly. We know that in our schools some children as young as Key Stage 1 have smartphones. Whilst smartphones can be a very helpful piece of technology for adults, they can equally expose children to a number of negative risks.
- They are highly addictive, with the lasting effects on young and developing brains being similar to that of gambling.
- Smartphones have been linked to poor mental health, depression and low self-esteem, especially in young teenagers.
- They expose children to harmful content including pornography, grooming, bullying and material that is not age appropriate.
- By changing the way children’s brains develop and fundamentally affecting their ability to concentrate they reduce attention spans.
- Smartphones rob children of their childhood. Time spent on a device reduces time spent playing, interacting and developing vital social skills.
To show our professional support for this campaign, we encourage all parents to delay giving children a smartphone until they reach the age of 14, opting instead for a text/call phone alternative if necessary.
As headteachers, we have committed to promoting our own schools as smart-phone free. We believe we can all work together across St Albans and join the growing movement across the country to change the ‘normal’ age that children are given smartphones.
However, to be successful, this movement relies on you, our children’s parents, to resist the pressure from your children and their peers and hold back on giving your children smartphones until they are 14. In this way you will be working together with a wide network of parents and schools to re-set the expectation and remove social peer pressure.
Our children’s futures are so important, to you and to us. In a world where fast-changing technology is actually impacting the development of our children’s brains, it is up to us to stand up for them, and their futures. If not us, then who?
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