Foto: Gorm Kallestad / NTB

Storbritannias regjering har mandag kunngjort at bruk av mobil­telefoner skal bli forbudt på skoler i England for å unngå forstyrrelser i undervisningen og forbedre oppførselen i klasse­rommene.

Retningslinjer for håndhevelse av forbudet er også blitt utstedt denne mandagen, opplyser regjeringen på sine egne nettsider. Her fremgår det at mobiltelefoner også blir forbudt i pausene.

Skoler som allerede har innført mobilforbud på eget initiativ, har oppnådd gode resultater, opplyser den britiske regjeringen.

Mobiltelefoner er også en faktor ved mobbing:

By the age of 12, 97% of children have their own mobile phone, according to Ofcom. Using mobile phones in schools can lead to online bullying, distraction and classroom disruption which, in turn, can lead to lost learning time.

Retningslinjene fra regjeringen er fleksible med hensyn til håndhevingen, melder BBC:

The guidance sets out a number of examples to illustrate how a phone-free environment could be achieved, including a total ban on phones on schools premises, or rules requiring that phones are handed in at the start of the day.

It also says schools could allow pupils to keep possession of their phones but «only on the strict condition that they are never used, seen, or heard» during the day.

Mange britiske foreldre er bekymret for barnas mobilbruk:

The guidance will respond to concerns from parents about mobile phones, with the latest data from ParentKind’s National Parent Survey, revealing that 44% of parents are concerned about the amount of time their children spend on electronic devices, rising to 50% of parents of secondary school children.

Men ikke alle i skolevesenet er tilfreds med forbudet. En fagforening av skoleledere mener at mobilbruken ikke er et problem.

But the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) union said it did not expect the new guidance to have any discernible effect.

«Most schools already forbid the use of mobile phones during the school day, or allow their use only in limited and stipulated circumstances,» said general secretary Geoff Barton.

«We have lost count of the number of times that ministers have now announced a crackdown on mobile phones in schools. It is a non-policy for a non-problem.

Regjeringen burde heller bekjempe skadelige plattformer som elevene besøker, mener ASCL:

«The government would be far better off putting its energies into bringing to heel the online platforms via which children are able to access disturbing and extreme content.»

Regjeringen i London kan ikke selv forby mobiltelefoner på skolene i Wales, Skottland eller Nord-Irland, opplyser BBC.

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