Edith Cowan University: Mobile Phone Ban in Schools Essay

This essay examines the controversial topic of banning mobile phones in Australian schools. It begins by highlighting the growing influence of mobile phone technology and its impact on education, including cyberbullying, classroom distractions, and examination irregularities. The essay explores both the advantages and disadvantages of incorporating mobile phones into the educational system, referencing studies that support the use of tablets for e-learning, and the benefits of mobile technology in enhancing student engagement and creativity. It also discusses the Australian government's stance on restricting mobile phone access to reduce cyberbullying and protect student mental well-being, as well as the negative impacts of mobile phone usage on the integrity of the examination system. The conclusion emphasizes the need for a proactive approach to address the improper use of mobile phones, advocating for the development of proper mobile phone etiquette and strategies to combat cyberbullying, both inside and outside the classroom, to help students mitigate the negative impacts of mobile phone technology.

Running header: MOBILE PHONE BAN IN AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLS
Mobile Phone ban in Australian Schools
Your Name (Student Number)
Unit Name & Code
Edith Cowan University
Date

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Introduction.
The use of mobile phone technologies has grown to impact the educational system
negatively. Cases of cyberbullying and data privacy among the students are exposing them to
malicious activities through their mobile phones (McDougall & Vaillancourt, 2015).
Furthermore, the students are often distracted by their cell phones during class hours and end
up losing a lot of class content (Chandrasena & Rajeswaran, 2019). Even more, mobile phone
usage increases the incidents of exam irregularities within the education system (Thompson,
Ansoglenang & Laar, 2019). Mobile phones and related technologies have also genuinely
brought some significant progress in the access to information which is beneficial in the
education system. This essay will observe the pros and cons of including the mobile phone in
the education system and a conclusion of why the Australian authorities are acting in the
students’ best interest by banning the use of mobile phones during school hours.
The pros and cons of including mobile phones in the education system.
The problem with mobile phones usage in schools is a new set of challenges educators
are facing as technology continues to stretch its hand of influence across all sectors of our
lives. According to Hurworth (2019), the new law will require students to store their phones
in their lockers from the beginning of school day to the end when they can retrieve it. Parents
attempting to reach their children will be required to communicate through their teachers.
France banned the use of mobile phones in their schools earlier in 2018 as a response to the
same negative impacts on their students in their learning institutions. The move by President
Emmanuel Macron restricted the use of all types of mobile phones, including smartwatches
and tablets for children under the age of fifteen during school hours (Baker, 2018).
While some parts of the world are rushing to curb the influence of mobile phone
technology in the education system, other countries are pushing for the use of mobile phone
technology in the classroom. Countries in East Africa, including Rwanda, have recently

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introduced the use of tablets in their primary education system (Nyabuga & Nyasani, 2018).
These countries have pumped in millions of dollars in investment to the tablets provision in
school due to the perceived advantages of mobile phone technology in classrooms. This shift
towards e-learning in some countries seems to embrace the effect of technology in the
education system. One such benefit is that e-learning is cheaper in the long run. Compared to
the cost of providing textbooks to each student, tablets save these governments a lot of
money. The tablets come with electronic copies of the books which are cheaper and do not
phase the effect of wear and tear hence saving on the cost of replacement.
Another advantage of the use of mobile phone technology in the classroom is that it
offers an exciting way for students to learn. Since children are drawn to these mobile
technologies naturally, they are often captivated by learning material delivered through
mobile technology. Apart from improving students’ computer literacy, the use of tablets in
school boosts their creativity through interactive drawing, music composition, and other extra
tools that come packed in the tablets (Jeong, 2016). The use of mobile technology helps with
faster visualization that stir the students’ imagination and cultivate the required skills. For
example, even mobile games such as Pokémon Go can be used to teach relevant map reading
skills. Research has shown that children learn better during activities they are wholly engaged
in thereby making mobile phone applications and games a great avenue to teach young
student’s relevant skills (Ko, Lee, Kim, Jung & Park, 2014).
The Australian government argues that restricting the students’ access to mobile
phones will decrease the cases of cyber-bullying in school-going children, therefore,
protecting their mental well-being. The increase in the access and use of mobile phone
technology has led to the rise in exposure to cyber-bullying. School going children are facing
bullying and victimization as a result of this increased penetration of technology.
Furthermore, school-going children are exposed to these practices at crucial development

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stages in their lives that lead to negative development consequences (McDougall &
Vaillancourt, 2015). Even though bullying has been present in the education system for some
time, the advent of mobile technology has seen the scales of this rise even higher. For
instance, the use of social media has exposed a more significant number of students to
bullying. Even more, social media also makes it easier for bullies to access other students’
information through their mobile phones.
Furthermore, mobile phone technologies act as distractions in the learning
environment (Chandrasena & Rajeswaran, 2019). The allure to stare at your mobile phone
during class causes an increased loss of attention in the classroom. This distraction is true for
both the younger and older students who find it challenging to focus on the relatively dull
classwork in comparison to their mobile devices with their unlimited capabilities. That
distraction can contradict the whole purpose of the education system and deter the children’s
learning. This problem has grown to affect our places of work similarly as employers around
the world lose considerable work hours to mobile phone distractions (Kalavar, 2018). The
challenge, therefore, is in mitigating the usage of phones in constructive ways and
appropriate timing. Enforcing strict regulations to curb these improper usages is one way of
checking this matter.
Another negative impact of mobile phone usage in the school system is that it
compromises the integrity of the examination system. Students are often found using a
mobile phone, smartwatches and related technologies to cheat in exams due to the devices'
ability to store large amounts of information and access the internet (Pagram, Cooper, Jin &
Campbell, 2018). The rules in examination rooms disallow the use of mobile phones, yet
mobile phones still account for the most significant cause of examination malpractice in most
countries (Thompson, Ansoglenang & Laar, 2019). As a result, the usage of phones by
students can dilute the quality of the education system by undermining the examination

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process. Examinations are core to the integrity of most education systems and are used to
offer an even ground for the assessment of learners around the world. The recent trend of
mobile phone irregularities is therefore a cause for alarm affecting even our higher learning
institutions.
Conclusion.
These challenges facing the schooling system are a reflection of the broader
challenges we face as a modern society as we cope with mobile phone technology. Cyber-
bullying is one of the many illegal activities that is carried out over mobile technology. The
Australian government’s move will be useful in reducing the cases of cyber-bullying.
Similarly, it will restore the students’ attention levels in class and reduce the incidents of
exam cheating. However, these initiatives will only curb mobile phone usage for a little while
when the children are in school. Research shows that these harmful activities involving
mobile phones go on even after school (Hrncic & Loncar, 2017).
Even as this step is beneficial to the students, Australian educators should work to
develop a proactive approach to combating the improper use of mobile phones in the long
run. Apart from banning the use of mobile phones in class, the teachers can further utilize the
classroom environment and the children’s learning stages of their lives to instill proper
mobile phone etiquette and methods for students themselves to combat cyberbullying. This
move will offer a more effective way to teach the students how to fight the negative impacts
of mobile phone technology even after they leave the school environment. Similarly, teaching
the students about data privacy and the dangers of posting private messages on their mobile
phones can help reduce the cases of cyberbullying and mobile phone technology-related
cybercrimes.

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References
Baker, S. (2019). France has banned all children under 15 from using their phones in school.
Retrieved 3 October 2019, from https://www.businessinsider.com/france-bans-
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Hurworth, E. (2019). Students banned from using cell phones at school in Australian state.
Retrieved 3 October 2019, from
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