There have been over 20,000 signatures on the petition to ban phones during recess and lunch at school. Thousands of parents have expressed their desire for schools to restrict the use of mobile phones at school – specifically to not allow them during breaks like recess and lunch – when kids should be chatting, forming friendships and playing.
High schools across NSW have an inconsistent approach to mobile phone usage at school by students. Some allow it, some don’t. According to the NSW Department of Education: “Secondary schools retain discretion to opt into the restriction or implement an approach that best suits their circumstances and the needs of their diverse communities.”
We’re proposing that there should be a policy from the NSW Department of Education that restricts the use of smartphones at school during recess and lunch times, and this is enforced across all secondary schools. This issue was recently highlighted in the North Shore Mums Facebook group, when one mum posted:
“My 12.5 year old son is struggling to enjoy high school. He was always happy in primary school and is very active and sporty. But he says he hates high school as lunchtimes are so boring because everyone just is on their phones all the time. He wants to run around and play tip or soccer. I have told him there’s bound to be like-minded kids and he just hasn’t met them yet. Has anyone’s kids had the same struggles starting high school? And is that the case with all high schools? They just sit on their phones all lunchtime? Any advice for my little guy? I don’t want him to hate school!”
We’re not suggesting that phones should be banned altogether – as they are an important means of communication between parents and students. Also, some students might need their phone for a medical reason. But ensure they are kept in their school bags or lockers. Don’t let them use them at recess and lunch, when kids should be socialising, playing and active.
So if you’d prefer your child to be socialising and playing at recess and lunch, not scrolling, gaming or going on social media, be sure to sign our petition to reduce the use during break times.
Comments from some of the parents who agree that phones shouldn’t be used at school
- “I could not agree with this suggestion more! Such an important issue that needs to be addressed. Kids should be moving during their breaks at school. This may be the only opportunity for some children who have full screen access at home!” – Nicola Branch
- “Phones are a distraction and do not belong in the classroom or playground. They should not be allowed of lockers or bag during school hours.” – Sonia Baillie
- “Yes, bring back social skills development. Other high schools have implemented with great success apps that deactivate phones when entering school which force students to socialise and be active during lunch. They repeat increased morale and mental health in students. This should be across the board in NSW.” – Megan Nguyen
- “It’s time to be consistent. Unless phones are needed for class work they need to be out of reach, especially at break times” – Nina Kovach
- “I believe kids should be free of phones during school time” – Anne Kerry
- “Mobile phones have wiped out our children’s innocence, youth, and general peace of mind.” – Maryam Zafar
- “Good communication skills are essential for successful relationships.” – Michelle Kew
- “It’s important for the next generation” – Eleni Rossides
- “Students are struggling to Moshe social connections due to being on phones and other technology in important social break times. Those who are a bit awkward or don’t know many in their grade find it more comfortable to opt of breaking through that awkward phase by turning to their phones. Devastated to see this happening to year 7 kids.” – Jaynie Halliburton
“Students should talk to each other instead of playing on their phones during recess and lunch. Maybe even be bored enough to kick a ball!”- Christine Paek - “I don’t believe there is a place in any school for mobile phones. If they need them to communicate with parents, of course but they shouldn’t be common place in the school yard.” – Michele Booth
- “Because kids need to socialise!”- Belinda Widdup
- “I believe children should not be disrupted with the iPhone usage but to develop their socializing skills with teachers and friendship amongst with their peers. More importantly, to have more time to focus in their studies, rather than playing games as well as visiting social media platforms.”- Andrea Lam
- “It is a significant step to ensure our children’s mental health, emotional wellbeing and social connections.”- Nicky Grewal-Poole
- “Phones should not be used during school”- Fiona Masters
- “We are robbing our kids of the chance to just be kids if we allow this to continue”- Hilary Bokeyar
- “I’m actually shocked that this isn’t already a blanket policy. Kids should not be on devices at school. We are causing a huge social issue if we don’t do something now.” – Ciara Barrett
- “Our kids are becoming more and more socially reclusive, unfit and unhappy with endless screen time. Big NO to phones at school.”-Patricia Bastick
- “Kids are losing the ability to persevere. Emotional regulation is a problem, attention span and patience is non-existent.”- Jade Christopher
- “Kids don’t need to be on a phone they should be socialising with their friends, reading books etc” – Gemma Sagar
- “Kids have forgotten how to converse with one another!!”- Alison Marshall
- “This should be a no-thinking required decision. Kids need to be socialising not buried in their phones.” – Wendy Pearse
- “I want my children to make meaningful relationships with people not a screen” – Gina Cheng
- “This is important for kids to have fine socialising skills and are better equipped to navigate complex relationships by learning at this stage in their life. We are paying expensive private schools fees to send our child to a school that locks phones in for the day. It would be great to streamline policy to create one system for all.”- Kylie Johnston
- “I agree, kids should be socialising with each other at lunchtime, not playing on devices.” – Amy Lenson
- “Children need to learn to socialise and keep socialising and also learn to communicate without social media. I have grandchildren so it’s a major concern” – Jan Bowyer
- “I 100% agree with no social use of phones on campus, public or private schools.” – Neha Sharma
- “School is a place for children to learn social interaction skills, this is even more important as they transition through puberty. Phones at school should be for emergencies.” – Annika Broadbent
- “I don’t want phone stoping my child’s natural development” – Tanya Hosken
- “Kids need to socialise off of phones..!” – Tanya Maxwell
- “I don’t believe having phones in school breaks supports a child’s social development.”- Susanna Millard
- “I want our kids to know how to be social!”- Alison Glendining
- “At this age children are progressing through developmental years forming habits they will use as an adult. If students avoid each other socially. How will they be able to tackle challenges in their own lives where they don’t know how to build relationships to support them and grow?”- Graeme Orchard
- “I’m signing because smart phones are taking out ok much of my children’s time and so much of the content online and in social media is affecting their mental health. Kids school be kids and be active, playing and interacting during school hours.”- Karen Miles
- “Phones are unnecessary at school and hinder social and emotional development.” – Sharara Attai
- “Kids need to socialise and play for physical and mental health.”- Tristan Tipps-Webster
- “There is no need for children to have phone access at recess and lunch. They are important times for socialising. Have I g had children at a phone free high school was great.”- Deborah Kellahan
- “I am all for our children learning to live their lives with phones however I also believe that forced reprieve is also important. Easier for us parents to implement this with our children when the whole school community is doing the same.”- Jo Stentiford
- “I am a parent of a year 7 student and am shocked at how much texting and social media is going on during school hours.”- Rachel Barnes
- “This technology is addictive and prevents kids from enjoying their childhood and using the time with peers to form proper friendships. It makes kids escape from “real life” instead of living in it. I have no issue with kids needing phone for safe commuting and after school activities, but I have specifically chosen schools for my kids where phones are put into a locker at 9 and collected at 3.”- Geraldine Clark
- “Common sense! No phones at school!”- Emily Bianco
- “I want kids to play together and bond and have fun. Phones take away that opportunity!” – Lindsay Hunter
- “We need to look after the mental health of our teens. They need to be unplugged every now and then. They don’t need to be on snapchat in school time!!” – Olivia Curtis
- “Children need to interact with one another to develop essential social skills crucial for life. Being on the phone will allow them to “hide” behind screens which in turn causes life long consequences.” – Shu Lee
- “Social skills are so important for every part of a person’s life…private, public, and in the workplace. A major place these skills are developed is in the playground at school, at recess and lunch, by the social interaction, play, conversation etc. It develops compromise, discussion, conversation, the ability to read facial expressions and body language. Unless we intend to lock ourselves up and never interact with a human being, these skills are highly important. Allowing phones to be used during school time is robbing the student with a valuable time to develop these very important social skills. Phones are an important safety device and for communication with parents, but can be switched on when the dismissal bell rings and checked for messages then…otherwise there is also the old-fashioned way of calling the school office if the message is important enough to get to the child during school time. Phones are not necessary during school hours!” – Elizabeth Kat
- “Phones are addictive and the younger these kids are allowed to have them available as a first option for entertainment the sooner they lose their ability to be creative, social and active. Plenty of time outside school hours to look at phones. Should not be allowed out in school time. Private schools crack down on it so why are our public schools not?”- Alison Underwood
- “I have 3 kids in high school, texting & checking phones instead of chatting & interacting face to face. Please ban phone usage during all school hours 9-3 everyday.” – Shadeh Loucas
- “I worry when I see groups of children interacting with their devices and not each other. Social skills must be suffering. Look up, look at the world around you, and at each other not at a screen.” – Linda Venn
- “I have a 6 year old and I am afraid to be facing the same issue in future. I am an early childhood teacher and I believe the cause is important for the well-being of children.”- Marium Abdullah
- “No phone at all. Not at break. Not on school grounds at all. High school kids are not even interacting with each other just scrolling their phones.” – Louise Bedeau
- “It is so important for the health & wellbeing of our kids! If adults find self-regulation difficult with their phones what hope do our kids have? Phones should not be allowed in school time.”- Emily Kimpton
- “Phones for children are madness.”- Amber Ryan
- “No kids need phones at school – you can always contact them thru the office”- Heather Nichols
- “Bring back social skills totally! And also will help fight online bullying through apps like Snapchat and other social media at least during school. Kids are not safe from online bullying 24/7 at least school can be a safer place when parents aren’t and can’t be there to help and protect them. There are mean kids and careless kids, deactivating phones means bullies and mean kids won’t have the means to reach many others at least school time to the detriment of their victims. Neutral ground and better mental health for all kids without accessing their phones all day at school.”- Gaye Terzioglu
- “There are public schools that are taking a sensible moderate approach and I want out kids to have a chance of developing social skills, to free from the chain and ball of a phone- their developing brains don’t have the maturity to decide phone away vs social media/games etc. It’s too hard for them in 7,8 and 9 at least.”- Sarah Hansen
- “Excessive use of mobile phones is impacting our children’s social skills and mental health. Children are exposed to inappropriate content at school, and those whose parents are taking a firm stand are ostracised by their peers. We are seeing the end result firsthand in our psychiatric practice. There is no place for mobile phones at school.”- Jen Hoey
- “Kids need a reprieve from the relentless distractions”- Katrina White
- “Schoolchildren need plenty of exercise & the extensive use of smartphones etc can lead to obesity.”- Clive Roberts
- “I’d like schools to encourage kids to put their phones away at lunch and recess.”- Anna Taylor
- “Children go to school to learn, interact and befriend in a socially connected context. Devices should not be allowed on site”- Dana Asaadi
- “I strongly agree! Phones are destroying childhood.” – Murray Lynch
- “I wholeheartedly support this petition. Phones have no place in the school grounds, they are damaging kids emotional, mental and physical well-being.”- Kellie Renae
- “Children need to learn to have conversations and not rely on their phones. They have lost the art of communicating with each other. They do not need their phones during the day at school.”- Christie Charlin
- “The less time my children are able to have access to screens, the better their mental health”- Tracey Ellis
- “I’m signing because I barely have the capacity to resist phones and I know how bad they are and children absolutely don’t have the understanding of how detrimental phones can be, not just from online bullying, social media, porn, risk of being groomed etc point of view but also from the fact that they are destructive to social discourse. They distract from real time engagement. They are addictive and powerful drug that can cause real harm. Kids need to have the freedom to be themselves with each other and if they don’t have the capacity to make that choice for themselves so we as adults/parents have to make that choice for them.” – Pennie Pomroy
- “I want my children to develop face to face social skills while at school” – Janneke Chilcott
- “Schools and families need to work together to minimize the harmful effects of unsupervised mobile phone usage during school hours.”- Rachel Roberts
- “Self-regulation around the use of mobile phones is hard – even for adults. We can’t expect our kids to keep their own boundaries all the time on their phone usage. It gets out of hand very quickly. Sometimes school is the only place some kids get active or socialise. Let’s set them up for a win by restricting phone use to before and after school.”- Anna Grindley
- “Overstimulation of kids by use of screens is negative for their socialisation and development. Government needs to step in!!”- Jessica Naimo
- “It’s needed.” – Alex Stephen
- “I have school aged kids and do not want them to have phones! Especially not at school.”- Jerneja mcgeachie
- “I feel kids should be talking to each other in person not by a screen.”- Michelle Holyhead
- “Smartphones disrupt social interactions and should not be used during recess and lunch breaks at school.”- Verity whitson
- “100% agree it should not be allowed across all schools, including catholic/private schools. Phone should only be used for emergency purposes.”- Mabel Moulton
- “Kids need to be kids.”- Janis Valdivia
- “I’m signing because children should not use their phones during school hours” – Jasmine Thomas
- “The idea of the kids on phones all recess and lunch really gets to me. They need to socialise, to talk, make eye contact, “play”. I understand they live in the digital age, but humans are made to be social and the ise of phones in schools impinges on that happening.”- Vanessa Farley Els
- “Connection is so important. Phone usage and social media creates a dopamine hit to keep you addicted. Is this really what our children need in a place of education and social learning?”- Cate Lewis
- “No phones in school!”- Emma Sorensen
- “I’m a teacher and a mum and I fully believe smartphones should be banned during school hours” – Nicola Robbins
- “I believe phone use can be a negative disruption to learning and socialising for students at school”- Melinda Tan-Stephen
- “Phones at school should be only for emergency use and for parents to convey important information such as change of pick up plans.”- Shayne Clark
- “I think kids shld be kids. We don’t let them drive till they have had lessons, yet we give them phones to delve straight into the internet where they can go down all sorts of dark spiraling holes. Schools should protect kids while they are in their care.”- Amber Ware
- “Kids do not need mobile phones on them in class.”- Kathryn Langworthy
- “I don’t want my kid on technology in recess or lunch! Kids need to run around play have fun and explore their imagination!!!”- Wendy Brown
- “I don’t think young primary school children benefit by playing on smartphones in school”- Clare Parbery
- “I want my kids to connect and engage with friends in real life and do school activities not be glued to their phones.”- Amanda Irving
- “I am seeing significant changes in my daughter’s behavior since starting high school. At lunch time all her friends are on their phone and do not want to take part in lunch time clubs that school is providing. All the topics of discussion amongst the kids is also around social media, youtube and reels which is very addictive and can impact social behavior, attention and concentration in classroom tasks. Lot of exposure to gaming apps has also shown increased evidence with kids brains functioning at a much higher level of arousal decreasing their ability to be able to show compassion and empathy in certain situations.I have had reports from other parents whose kids attend public and catholic schools where mobile phone use is banned at recess and lunchtime are having more productive and meaningful engagement with peers in spots or other lunch time club activities. Please if possible make it a policy to ban mobile phone use during school hours .”- Nivedita Vaidya
- “I’m signing because I can see the impact this device has on my kid especially apps like Discord where kids take photos of kids in class and make fun off and school doesn’t care at all” – Simmer Khehra
- “My son has just started high school. He is now asking for a phone. All his friends sit on their phones at lunch time. He has no one to engage with! I am shocked by this! Suggested he tries to make some new friends. I suggested he join the sport kids and play football or something… anything! He said even the sporty kids were sitting around looking at their phones. He is in the public system! I’m seriously considering moving him into a school with a better phone usage policy as this is just so heartbreaking to see all these children unable to develop their social skills and enjoy their school years. I fully support this petition for change.” – Diana Steel
- “The thought that my daughters will have to navigate their teen years surrounded by phones is already scary let alone if they have them at school too!”- Jess Loosemore
- “I am signing because I believe kids at school have lots to be engaged with and do not need to spend time on social media/gaming. Also, I choose not to buy a phone for my young children (under 14) and do not want them to left out. Kids might need phone for their parents to contact them and for their safety, but during school time they are safe so will not need to be on their phone.”- Hajar Dehnavi
- “I agree. Kids should play, be social, talk (not to mention eat their food) at lunch and recess.”- Alison Sheil
- “It’s so important for kids welfare and social skills for them to spend their time in school having fun, NOT online being corrupted by social media that will do nothing but impact their self-esteem” – Kylie Clarkin
- “Phones create antisocial behaviour in kids when they should be interacting with each other.”- Sharon Markulin
- “Kids need to engage face to face.” – Grace Quiney
- “I believe that children are spending too much time on screens” – Candice Brits
- “Kids need to learn social, negotiation, empathy and conflict resolution skills.” – Joe Helpman
- “I really want that children should connect with friends and others.”- Chhaya Agarwal
- “Kids need to learn to socially interact not hide behind their screens”- Megan Humphries
- “Mobile phone are robbing so many kids of their childhood and leaving long term effects.”- Jean Hampson
- “I want phones OUT of schools.”- Alex Holliday
- “I believe children should be forming relationships and connecting during their school days. I fear using phones during school will lead to mental health issues in young kids and the loss of ability of social skills so important for the real world post school.”- Sarina Mahony
- “I believe there should be a consistent policy across all schools”- Kim Huckerby
- “Kids need to play, interact and learn life skills such as communication and negotiation not time stuck to a phone”- Nicole Corrigan
- “I support this petition”- Milind Gadhave
- “All for this! It needs to stop”- Nayha Makhija
- “Devices are addictive. Would we allow our kids to bring cigarettes to school? Timem on devices must be should be limited, at least in the early years of high school.” – Catherine Rodriguez
- “Mobiles doesn’t do any good and they miss their social life”- Swetha Karuturi
- “Children are becoming addicted to smartphone just like adults. Can’t really blame them as that is what they see around them and are fascinated by the fun and entertainment it offers in addition to socialising. Hope some wise person solves this complex psychological man-made problem.” – Shishir Jathar
- “Mobile phones have NO place at school. Put them in lockers and forbid access.” – Amanda Vince
- “I strongly believe phones are ruining the mental state and opportunities of connection at this crucial age.” – Rebecca McCartney
- “Kids are missing out on learning key social skills and developing relationships due to the distractions and isolation phones at school can create.” – Rosemary Edwards
- “I strongly agree that students don’t need a phone during school hours. This is the reason why we have office and admin positions.” – Jemma Hartzer
- “It’s scary seeing all these groups of kids on their phones and never chatting amongst themselves.” – Sara Norton
- “I would prefer if school students didn’t use mobile phones during lunch or recess breaks. This would help them improve their communication skills by being forced to talk to each other rather than hide behind a screen.”- Narbeh Shirvanian
- “It depresses me beyond words to think that kids are sitting on their phones all lunch, instead of talking to each other, laughing, running around playing games and exercising! Kids have enough screen time at home as it is but they don’t have the self control to regulate it yet, that’s where we need to step in and help kids manage their screen time before it becomes an unhealthy addiction.” – Natasha Lewis
- “It’s important to have a consistent, government led policy to protect our children.”- Kirsten Lau
- “I want my kids to enjoy real relationships and give their developing brains a chance to be truly great.” – Gretta Howard
- “I’d prefer my child not to use their phone during school hours” – Leanne Steggles
- “I’m signing because my child is having trouble making friends at highschool.” – Elizabeth Rynehart
- “I think it is in the child’s best interest to not be exposed to social media or gaming at school.” – Pravitha Menon
- “I would like mobile phone’s banned at recess and lunchtime in high schools.”- Jackie Ryan
- “I agree that phones should not be used at school.”- Mina Gray
- “I’m a high school teacher & work across many schools in Sydney. There is a lot of truth in this statement & I agree a consistent policy should be enforced.”- Shauna Forrest
- “It is so important for kids to have social skills and connection that they won’t get through a device.”- Jen Sharrock
- “Kids need to move at break time, play, laugh, interact and enjoy the outside. Phones kept to essential – relaying messages about getting to and from school” – Maxine Dunne
- “All children need to learn social skills, this isn’t going to happen if they are on the phone all day and they will start to suffer RSI” – Gail Berridge
- “Children should be playing, talking, daydreaming and simply left to there own thoughts. Not bombarded with information overload, advertising and far worse. Please help the kids. Phones are addictive.”- Sophie Costello
- “I’m signing because I agree. Sport and library and fresh air is better.”- Vanessa Sakajani
- “Kids need to socialise without technology”- Rob Morris
- “I do not want my kids on their phones at school.”- Belinda King
- “Children have enough stress and anxiety just being kids and growing up – they don’t need phones there all the time for social media/possible cyber bullying/constantly being switched on and gaming! Let them be kids”- Fiona Nagy
- “Children shud get along with other students in school and avoid using phones” – Saravanan Mohan
- “I’m signing because my son started high school this year at a school where this is no mobile phone policy and I believe this negatively affects his lunch times and socialising abilities.” – Nicole Dive
- “Mobile phones are not really phones but internet connected devices with access to endless possibilities of content. When at school my child is in the care of the Dept. The Dept cannot possibly be fulfilling that duty of care when they are allowing possible access to pornographic or disturbing content. In addition the NSW govt is encouraging physical activity out of school (active kids school vouchers) whilst discouraging it at school by allowing mobile phones. Children need to socialise, play games and chat there is no need for mobile phones at school.” – Samantha Puckeridge
- “There’s good evidence that smartphones have negative impacts on mental and physical health. There’s no need for kids to have them during school, and there are a lot of good reasons for them not to!”- Anina Rich
- “Kids need to learn social skills and stay physically active. There is no need at all for phones at school!”- Sarah Jeffrey
- “I totally agree with this.”- Rosie Merrigan
- “I agree” – Amit Ladsaongikar
- “Kids are quite capable of amusing themselves without phones given the opportunity. It’s up to parents and schools to encourage time off the screen”- Lisa Rawling
- “I agree that children don’t need phone use at school. It should be banned.”- Jill Shackleton
- “There is too much technology and not enough social interaction”- Selena Keeble
- “It’s an additional distraction young developing brains don’t need! Let them talk in person , laugh, play, run around, read books -rest their eyes and their brains away from screens at least while on lunch!!!”- Lisa Grosskopf
- “It’s the right thing for children’s mental health” – Justine Innes
- “It is a potential distraction and when they are at school with friends, it’s best they make use of available time to play or chat amongst friends”- Mangalam Ramanathan
- “Kids should play and be sociable during school breaks. Not on their phones or social media.”- Francene Russell
- “For the sake of children’s development”- Stephanie Robertson
- “Social skills are so important in todays world, our kids need to switch them off & interact with their peers… during school hours especially”- Melissa McRae
- “For my children’s future!”- Tara Colwell
- “Screens are destroying kids imagination”- Thomas Anderson
- “I’m a mum who is worried about her kids.”- Erin Prowse
- “I am a psychotherapist working with young women with eating disorders and addictions – teens are using phones for emotional regulation when they should be using relationships. Some are having panic attacks when i ask them to put them in their car or bag during therapy. Ban phones in schools ASAP – NSW DOE is contributing to addiction and a myriad of other mental health concerns.”- Jodie Blake
- “Phones are a huge an unnecessary item to have at school. It can open up a space for social media bullying, poor concentration and students who don’t socialise properly. They add zero benefit to the school environment.”- J G
- “They don’t need them! Let the kids be kids without the never-ending distraction of technology.”- Claire Walker
- “I see a huge difference in the social bonds between my daughter and her friends (at a school that does not allow phones) vs my other daughter and her friends (at a school that does). They are identical twins so same age friends.”- Marcella Searle
- “Children need time off screen to make real social connections at school and form deeper relationships with friends.”- Susanna Vollmerhaus
- “Agree 100%”- Stella Barbieri
- “Children need to socialise face to face not through devices”- Eleisha Lane
- “I’d love to encourage any physical social interaction where possible” – Arlene Makayan
- “Playgrounds are for playing in!” – Rachel Pavitt
- “I absolutely agree with this!” – Carol Griffin
- “Kids should have some time away from phones during school”- Andrew Jessop
- “Strictly ,Mobiles not required during school hours”- Poornima Kondur
- “Kids should be active and talking Did I g breaks at school”- Charlotte Morgan
- “Kids spend too much time on screens”- Elena Stepanova
- “They should be practicing their social skills at school not scrolling through their phones.”- Robyn Wark
- “I can see the damaging effects of phones on my children.” – Kate Bush
- “I can resonate with this. My son is in year 7 and socialising would not be possible at recess and lunch without a mobile so we caved in. He is a really sporty kid but it makes me sad that the only way to “play” at school is via a device. ☹️”- Claire Bernard
- “I strongly believe that phones should not be allowed during school hours.”- Kirsten Andersen
- “I’m a retired teacher and believe recess and lunch should be for face to face socialising and activities such as physical games and clubs.”- Wilma King
- “I’m terribly worried about the mental and physical health of kids”- Phillipa Milne
- “Children are losing the ability to communicate verbally with each other / or indeed everyone and that is frightening for the future of these kids mental health and the population as a whole.”- Sonia Judd
- “Children should enjoy outdoors and interact with one other. Phones at school are necessary for children during school hours and recess.”- Nirupama Mani
- “Children and teenagers need school time for bonding with their friends and actively playing. Not being on their phones during school hours is imperative for their social development.”- Lisa Peterson
- “Let’s not destroy our Childrens’s mental n physical health by letting them overuse mobiles!”- Rashmi Malhotra
- “They are so anti social they need to go.”- Erin Drelincourt
- “Kids need to be taught the art of communication and having a conversation”- Poonam Raj
- “Kids need less screen time”- Val Cullen
- “Keep kids at least free from mobile phones in the school!”- Jessica Du
- “Children should be socialising in lunch and recess times at school not isolating on their phones. How can schools allow phone use against parents wishes? It is a travesty of justice and care in our education system!”- Robyn Wunder
- “School is for face to face interaction”- Sally Bridgland
- “Children should be talking to one another and socialising”- Lisa Walkden
- “That’s not the right practice.”- Rekha Rao
- “I care about my kids social life abilities in the future”- Linda Kurniawati
- “Children need to play and socialise.”- Leanne Brook
- “I agree that phones and social media are a scourge for our children”- Susi Bottger
- “I believe children & teens need the ‘break’ times at school to be active & socialise with their peers & not be glued to a mobile phone”- Simone Peacock
- “Absolutely, phones are frying our kids brains. they should be socialising in these times.”- Karen Wood
- “Kids need to socialise with each other and. Or a screen”- Robanne Morris
- “Yes, mobile phone use should be restricted in school.”- Dan Lu
- “Because is good for the school’s study and students concentrations in the classroom.”- Stanka Cukovski
- “It’s the right thing to do.”- Nicole Hansen
- “Chunhua liang”- Chunhua Liang
- “Hkhan”- Hammad Khan
- “The kids won’t get more social and less activity will effect mental health”- Muhammad Huzaifa
- “Phone should be for contacting parents and safety. That’s all.”- Emma Vozzo
- “I’m signing because my daughter’s school (when she reached year 10) dropped phones and the entire school became a more face to face social environment and children had to deal with less stress and online bullying. My daughter believes she did better with her educational results because of less social media distractions also.”- Deborah Bocock
- “It is important to manage this menace” – Raghu Pulavorty
- “It’s important for kids to interact and connect with each other for their well being and social skills.”- Craig Howard
- “I work in a high school and phones are the biggest barrier to learning. Kids are addicted to them”- Heather Barlow
- “I agree with the petition”- Ada Arzola de Velasquez
- “I care”- Linda Phillips
- “No mobiles should be allowed during school and schools themselves should not be responsible for the phones the kids bring -kids should be talking and playing!”- Carolyn Jones
- “I totally agree, mobile phones should be kept turned off & in the students school bag during school hours, students do not need their phones at school.”- Gwenda Sliney
- “As a retired teacher I have seen how much students are distracted from learning by their mobile phones. At recess and lunch it is sad to see groups of students sitting in groups ALL on their phones. No conversation happening at ALL. Laptops, I pads and phones should be seen a a tool that might assist when the teacher advises. I have seen students go into full ‘ melt down’ when a device is confiscated because of inappropriate use. So disturbing that they are so attached.”- Sue Roberts
- “I believe that kids should be learning how to socialise and connect at school.”- Angie Ritchie
- “I’m a school teacher and students are so distracted with what is happening on social media that they are not concentrating on what is happening in the classroom. So many social problems. Students meeting up with other students during class time. It’s a struggle to manage, so much time is wasted asking students to put their phones away. I think we would see improvement in students results if they were band.”- Megan Hearne
- “My child starts high school next year and I want her to be at a school where she is off her phone and keeping fit having fun with friends!”- Sarah Bryce
- “They should not be allowed at schools!”- Heidi Hansell
- “As an educator, I have seen the mobile phone been used for bullying, harassment, intimidation and extortion. We must make the right decision in the best interest of child safety. No more excuses!”- Moustafa Elakkoumi
- “NO need for mobile phones at school..full stop..”- Jennifer Fildes
- “Should have been policy from the start. I am sure it was at one stage but must have been changed.”-Helen McNiven
- “It is most important for teenagers to communicate verbally. To look at people’s faces”- Vanda Spadaccini
- “Children’s use of mobile phones has been associated with brain tumours, sleep problems, concentration and memory problems, reduced academic performance, problematic interpersonal relationships and addiction.”- Lyn McLean
- “Children need to lead a simple life and they are not doing that anymore because their noses are stuck in their phones”- Nada Corak
- “I couldn’t agree more! My daughter has had exactly the same experience since starting High School.”- Sian Monkley
- “Kids need to be kids. Ban phones in school hours”- Vanessa Roets
- “I believe this is a big problem in schools for young people”- Alison Esdaile
- “Kids need to physically play”- Bev Towers
- “Social skills development is critical for the problems in our children’s future. The playground is a great place to let them explore these skills – and plat!”- Joe Helpman
- “It’s important that kids socialise, play and have time off a screen while at school.”- Kristina Duke
- “We should all be on ours phones less, for ourselves and humanity.”- Laura Earl
- “This should be applied across all high schools. Kids these day are glued to their phone, so much so they have forgotten their social skills.”- Lydia Wince
- “Children should be learning how to social with face to face interaction, not stuck on phones during school hours.”- Sally Fan
- “I want our kids to play and socialise like we did. Staring at phones in break times is bad for their social, physical and mental development”- Clare Gray
- “Technology is a real distraction for children to learn to connect the dots between their personhood and the external world of rules and regulations. #beingauthentic#australianoftheyear2030Dr Devina Singh”- Dr Devina Singh
- “I’m signing because kids need to play with their friends, not be stuck on phones accessing dubious websites and content inappropriate for their age!”- Karen Hutchings
- “I think social interactions are an important tool to teach to our children in a School environment for their Emotional Well-being.”- Poonam Nagpal
- “I think phones lead to anti-social behaviour and lack of physical play”- Simone Grimmond
- “Recess and lunch time is an opportunity to meet and socialise and not to glued to a phone”- Sue Stanek
- “Children need social interaction at recess and lunch as well as less distraction from devices in the classroom. How impossible for year seven students to meet new friends if they are all on phones! Lots of kids avoid facing the social environment around them by reverting to their phones. They are too young to make choices around this if it always accessible.”- Jaynie Halliburton
- “Kids shouldn’t be allowed to use phones at school.”- Briar Krumm
- “Kids need interaction”- Joan Warbrick
- “I don’t want my children to become addicted to phones and miss out on the fun school times!”- Annalisa Meryment
- “I’m signing because as the parent of two teenagers at the end of high school, I’ve seen the damage that phone addiction has done”- Lydia Vitalis
- “I believe this is true. Mobiles either in bags all times or dont take one at all.We survived without them so can they.”- Greg Speakman
- “Technology should not be allowed during school hours to encourage face to face interaction among students”- Flavia Blanchard
- “My daughter started year 7 last year and she found it really hard to meet and talk to her peers as they spend all of their break time on their phones.”- Vanessa Ricketts
- “Children are forgetting how to speak with others, how to socialize and make friends. Let’s save their mental health by reducing phone use! Otherwise we are facing a bleak future of people lost in devices, unaware of others, lonely and empty. Please help!”- Judith Mendoza-White
- “We know the risks and impacts of too much screen time so how on earth are kids allowed to sit on their phones at school which is place of learning! We need to improve social behaviours, especially at schools, not encourage more screen time.”- Sarah Hytner
- “Access to internet phone or computer freely in highschool is just giving them free raine to distraction. If only high school teachers knew how many messages go around and movies tik toks are watched while they are teaching”- Karen Britton
- “I am signing this petition because children’s focus at school ought to be on education and social activities. There is no need for phones to be used during the school day.”- John Abdel-Ahad
- “Probably a good idea but I had everything stolen from me as a school child while my bag wasn’t attended”- Martin Wilk
- “Kulvinderkaur”- Kulvinder Kaur
- “This is very concerning. Kids have turned into zombies who can’t converse with anyone or even think to solve problems. Very distressing for us watching this happen. Take the screens away!”- Sheryl Glover
- “This is impacting my childs education and its not somthing I can solve alone as a family.”- Lilly Floyd
- “Get RID! They don’t need them when they’re with their friends already.”- Joanna Prew
- “If Victoria has done it, why hasn’t NSW? Also, it’s perhaps worth bringing this up at the school council level at your own respective schools.”- Arthur Le
- “Bodies need physical activity especially after sitting in class. If parents are giving poor examples of mobile usage – even when they have tiny infants who need eye contact – schools can instil sensible usage.”- Bethel Hunter
- “Children are getting distracted”- Hawraa Alhessany
- “My kids get addicted badly affecting their study a lot.”- Tina Yee
- “My children are struggling at lunch times at school because most children don’t want to play, instead are on phones or ipads. Children are struggling with socialisation skills and schools are encouraging this by allowing it.”- Rachel Eastoe
- “Because mobile phone usage among kids during school hours has caused a menace”- Preema DSouza
- “I signed just to comment. How about you put your energy into a real issue Karen. FMD”- Danny Hanslow
- “I don’t like kids using mobile all thebtime”- Reni Mathew
- “School is no place for mobile phones”- Ian Betteridge
- “Um, recess and lunch are a literal break time. There’s no work being done so how is it a distraction? Just some dumbass Middle Aged woman trying to suck the fun out of everything, get a life you stupid bitch :)”- Dani Rossi
- “Why is NSW different to VIC? Phones in lockers in VIC thankfully – phones are so addictive, remove the temptation and focus on other things at school!”- Angela Edwards
- “100% Agree”- Tajinder Singh
- “Maybe change High School to a School that encourages sports and Not phones.It’s is bound to happen kids hating School, it’s just the way it is now. Or maybe you could get your son into after school sport. We are just in the … Electronic Babysitter Era … And No Mobile Phones or Ipads or electronic devices should be used at School.”- Hitlers Bride
- “Kids are getting too much in technology Being social and eye contact are getting less”- Amandeep kour
- “I disagree. There are increasing number of cases where young people are the first point of contact. We have people old enough to vote, drink, drive cars but need to be policed re a phone. Qualify which age group you are referring to. Allow Principals discretion. I don’t sign such an open abuse of civil rights”- Sue Colman
- “I would think that children should only be allowed “dumb” phones (basic, not smart phones) at school, which are perfectly fine to make and receive calls.”- Atif Shehzad
- “Makes sense. Such a distraction and bad for socialisation”- Rebekah Chandler
- “Kids should be outside kicking a footy or physically playing games…..so sad they are glued to their phones, missing out on the real world & stuck in cyber world”- Kim Teeling
- “Yes, it is right!” – Attila Erdei
- “Mobiles should only be allowed to be used before and after school. During school hours, laptops and tablets should only be allowed to be used for school work. Other options need to be available for the non-sporty kids.”- Sacha Slade
- “Smart phones are preventing young people from living in the present.”- Janet Lynne Smith
- “Removing phones is very important.”- Robyn Spaull
- “Only a distraction for kids at any time”- Mynetta Nugent
- “I feel mobile phones are inhibiting our children’s growth (social and emotional )”- Mandy Chilcott
- “I’m a WA schoolkid.Phones have been banned since 2020, which means you aren’t allowed to use your phone while you’re in school. It never occurred to me that, although NSW has the most prestigious schools, they have one of the most lax policies on phones. So I think it’s unfair for NSW kids to have mobile phones readily allowed during recess and lunch, because there was a night-and-day difference in some schools’ atmosphere. My school was already pretty good with phones, but some schools had people scrolling through Instagram IN CLASS! This is disruptive and detrimental for kids’ education.”- Nicholas Lai
- “My son signed it. He has 2 children this change will affect in a good way.”- Gail McLachlan
- “I agree.”- Rosa Bugno
- “They ARE!”- Dean Procter
- “Like MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS!”- Dean Procter
- “This SHOULD be nationwide! Kids NEED to interact with each other!No WONDER we are raising a generation of utter snowflakes, that would rather talk via text , whilst sitting next to each other, or have become too ‘delicate’ to rec a phone call, citing it as too ‘aggressive’! ARE you serious? That is WHAT a telephone is for:to talk to people in remote locations, VERBALLY! Phones, (esp smartphones ) have been contributing to too much mental illness and social anxieties, that would NOT eventuate if kids just had to interact with each other personally! HOW will said kids actually end up in relationships or get married if they can’t even interact with some1 face to face? They are doomed! DOOMED I tell you!!!(Breeding a gen of NARCS as well I think!) The way I see some people carry on with the latest & greatest smartphones, proves they are all narcissists! This is WHY I do not own a smartphone, just a dumb old GSM phone, that makes calls & texts: I do not WANT to be a narcissist like all the other phone users”- Dean Procter
- “My son and I had a deep trauma. It changed everyone’s life forever”- Atula Ķale
- “School times shall be more on social interaction and building social skills.”- Onkar Singh Parpotra
- “I strongly believe kids will enjoy conversation, interacting, social skills far more of they are not using phones!!!”- Nina Selimiotis
- “Kids aren’t kids forever. Run, jump, kick balls, enjoy friendships. Cell phones should be banned from start to end of school day.”- Judy Pringle
- “How is putting them in their bags going to help?? They should be handed into a specific teacher/year master/principle or perhaps the office & picked up when school is finished. If the student needs to be urgently contacted, they should contact the office.”- Steve Barton
- “Staying on their phones during lunch and recess will diminish their social life at school.”- Abeerx alkhozouz
- “Phone use should be totally banned during school hours . Students think it’s their right to use them whenever they like , creating disciplinary problems in classrooms & the playground. Our students are significantly behind poor nations re their academic achievements, stopping mobile use at school would make a difference. PS parents need to step up & support schools & teachers instead of pandering to their children’s every whim!”- Nita Hillard
- “Kids are meant to be at ground socialising and playing. This is the healthiest way of living”- Vivek Thanumalayan
- “Too much social media. Let the children learn to communicate face to face.”- Maureen Sinclair
- “Children should be socialising with friends face to face during school hours.”- Prudence Gould
- “I totally agree with Rachel. Besides what she has written, phones and games exacerbate anti-social tendencies and further obesity. Breaching phone use policies should also be treated by confiscation and/or other disciplinary measures.”- Brad Clinch
- “Limit screen time”- Shobha Ingleshwar
- “I feel strongly that kids need to have conversations with each other and playtime at recess and certainly not using phones”- Irene Johnson
- “I’m signing because I see children bending their necks down over their phones! It makes me sad that this will cause neck injury injuries later in their lives, and recess is for getting out exercising in the sunshine ☀️”- Lesley Annand
- “Less screen time, internet, online gaming, social media, etc + more real world interactions, exercise, real world problem solving of boredom and spontaneous schoolyard games = healthier, happier, more resilient, well adjusted, intelligent children = no brainer if kids must have mobile phones at school to text parents then they must be only the most basic model. No smartphones. No internet.”- Amy McGinniskin
- “As a parent, grandparent and retired teacher I believe this petition is vital to improve kids mental and social wellbeing.”- Janet Milliss
- “I am concerned about the health and safety of the younger generation including my own children.”- Annapurna Deshmukh
- “I am signing because I have experienced firsthand the toxicity of social media and access to the internet at an age where I haven’t formed moral codes or able to stand by values. Children NEED to be able to learn how to play and have fun with nothing in front of them -using their imagination. Phones are inhibiting the growth of neuronal connection and growth in general.”- Jasmine Valenzuela
- “In the day of high adventure another time in another era where I grew up within. Come share the difference time makes in their eyes of them. As a lad of ye ole age striving and surviving the best one can in a world far different from now. I never had the luxury of mobile phones, in fact they were not part of life back then. Still times change and life progressives with ways the money Mongols scheme dark secret ideas just to ensure your daily coffee is too dear to buy. But what does that mean in the eyes of a child who wants to be part of the crowd? … mummy she’s got a mobile phone why can’t I have one? Yes, the stupidity of vain or the real need to own one? I believe in todays era, low-cost mobile phones with limited features such as dial their parents and emergency access numbers only would be a good idea for helping to make children safe on their way to and from school. After all teachers have a mobile phone should help be needed during school hours. Naturally, it would also mean yes, no phone calls dur”- Ken Donaldson
- “Signing because seriously, give the kids time to not be on technology”- Jane Coombe
- “I’m a teacher and l have seen the consequences!”- Anna Formosa
- “Phones don’t belong in school at all. They encourage bullying”- Michelle Moon
- “I totally believe in this message. Stop this addiction”- Tania Jones
- “At school, play time IS PLAY TIME. One goes to bed…to sleep..NOT VIEW T.V. or listen to audiobooks. Children may need to be shown, HOW TO PLAY.”- Lady de Soto-Phillips
- “No phones during school hours. Let them talk to one another!”- Ineke Rapp
- “Mobile phones should not be allowed at any school in NSW, during any school time by the students. We need to do better by the students, they need to also learn basic interpersonal skills which will be assisted by removing these addictive phones altogether from Schools.”- Shaun Simon
- “Overuse of mobile phones (and digital technology in general) can change the brain, leading to symptoms mimicking ADHD and affects social skills development enough to seem like autism. Or just make kids less empathetic in general. I have both diagnosis btw. So I think phones should just be used as a tool and not make the person become a tool. This is why I’m signing the petition.”- Sanjay Roy
- “I mean, yes, phones aren’t even allowed in the first place during school time, HOWEVER, they keep them in their pockets to stop people from stealing them, locks on lockers are usually cheap or easily pickable, bags, there is just a zip stopping anyone from taking it, phones unattended in the first place is really unsafe, even I keep my phone in my pocket, Mobile phones are already not allowed out in school at all, teachers need to be watching out.”-William O
- “I agree”- Barbara O’Rourke
- “I am in full support that phones should NOT be allowed at recess and lunch.”- Katie Berrell
- “It should be Common sense to not have phones at school”- Jamie Keith
- “I’m agree with rim”- Hind Elhomsie
- “I believe that Parents:1- SHOULD DIVERT the PHONE to a DEDICATED MOBILE held in the SCHOOL OFFICE, (Selected School Times & School Days) so that IF A PARENT NEEDS to Contact their Child for Any Reason at All, A TEACHER OR OFFICE SECRETARY can send for that Child and Pass on the Message. 2-Only then there will be NO REASON for any child to have a Phone out of their bag.3- If School Lockers are safe, then the Child can leave it Locked up. 3a- If Not Safe in the Locker, then in the Bag. 4- If a child is Caught Using a Mobile Phone:4a- A Letter sent Home with the Offender to the Parents “asking them to keep Phone at HOME for 1 Week (diverted Phone/ Child can still get Messages from the Office). Signed Letter Brought back to the Office the Next day before the Week can commence.4b- A Smart Watch, can still take calls, but Messages are Better than calling and they are Not as enjoyable and will deter the Child from playing on the Watch. ($5/mth plan).5- Give Children Incentives:�����5a- Prizes for teamwork”- Kim K
- “The heads of the tech companies have admitted that these phones are designed to be addictive. Let’s intervene while we can.”- Jane Ahlquist
- “I believe that there needs to be more regulation surrounding phones and social media for youth. It is easily accessible for children under the age of 16 that has damaging impact on their social situations and mental health.”- Katie Anderson
- “Concentration needs to be sacred”- Ioannis Constantine
- “I can’t just Heart what you wrote (a sign of, I understand you Signed.I’m happy that you wrote HAD, and hope that it is all in the Past. Yesterday is History Tomorrow is a Mystery Today is the Present (Gift),Day by Day, Hour by Hour,Your experience will help others, as I am (as well as other people) When you need a Friend. Thank you for Sharing and Trusting us with your experience.Izzac”- Kim K
- “They spend too much time on them anyway. Recess and lunch should be for interaction with each other.”- Peter Masters
- “I’m bothered with how young people txt each other even when sitting together. I just don’t get that!!? Baby boomers…like me didn’t have phones at school and we survived very well! I don’t think phones are necessary at school.”- Rae Wright
- “Hi Sue,You disagreed to a statement made without even knowing what you are Disagreeing To ??I believe it was 12 years old. Sorry, 12.5 years old.May I ask about the increasing number of people for first point of contact?Are you a Principal?I am definitely Not trying to Openly Abuse Your Civil Rights.Yes I agree that we have people old enough to read and to respond without drink driving and texting by phone while voting because the Police is flashing their lights because you are trying to work out the Age Group that is being referred to??I am only making sure that I got the Question Right. I hope I have answered your question??Do I Qualify or do I go to the Principal’s office?Take care Sue.”- Kim K
- “I do agree however Dont Blame Bad Things Like there social and mental health just because of their phone, But I do encourage to talk with your kids a lot. But I have signed this petition”- Kurht NEEDS HIS KPOP
- “I strongly agree. It’s important children to socialise with their surroundings. We could see only a very few children are together as they don’t know their classmates are around too in recess or lunchtime. The group of children is 1 or 2 playing in the phones . Children are lacking social skills kindnesses courtesy physical skills that they supposed to gain during the out of classroom times . Schools should be not allowed children to use phones during whole school hours time .”- Maha BOJJA
- “Sruthi Kandimalla.”- Sruthi Reddy
- “It really really important that kids of all ages learn & continue to socialise in the real world with real people”- Tanya Brown
- “The phones are not a resource for students to use throughout the school day.”- Ruth Byrnes
- “M.viji”- Viji Madhankumar
- “The kids are on their phone enough at home surely they can go without it until end of school time”- Anthony Martin
- “Mobile phone access needs to be reined in – and not just for kids!”- Anne Davies
- “Lynne Richardson”- Lynne Richardson
- “Children are losing social skills”- Rachel Uglow
- “We need to protect our children and allow them to experience life outside mobile phones. They are becoming addicted and this state is difficult to undo.”- Jean Edwards
- “Actually I don’t think children need mobile phones at school ever – parents used to ring reception if they had a message for their children – this worked the last hundred years and more. While at school, the welfare of the children is the school’s responsibility. The current problem is laziness on their behalf for not setting boundaries. Phones kept in bags is only a part solution but theft will increase. Phones should be left in the office from school start to school end.”- Jeannette Martin
- “Our kids are becoming anti-social vegetables.”- Rosalind Baker
- “I am a xoncer”- Kavitha Gangatkar
- “I agree that mobiles should only be used for emergencies.”- Mark Sheppard
- “We humans are a socially thriving species. The interactions our children and adolescents have with even one or two friends but especially the dynamics learned within minimally supervised groups such as cliques on the playground are crucially important for their social-cultural-moral-emotional development.”- Rebecca Ashmore
- “I don’t want my child on their phone during school hours!!! It’s unnecessary ”- Fiona Verolin
- “I want kids to be in the Dark Ages.”- Alexander Addison
- “I don’t want my child or any other child to use it at school during lunch or recess.”- Vidhya Brahadedh
- “Agree very deeply about this issue as I have children of my own.”- Adam Bennett
- “I agree to the point”- Jasmin Thomas
- “I can go all day for this. But in nutshell, I agree students shouldn’t be allowed to use the technology in their breaks and should be involved in human interactions”- Mikita Shah
- “Lunchtime should be about social interaction and time away from devices- not digital distraction and more screen time!”- Jeena Joyan
- “I agree with Mark. It important to foster face to face socialising at school during recess.”- Trish Wisbey-Roth
- “Social skill development in breaks is just as important as Math skills in class”- Elizabeth Dore