National promises to ban cellphones in schools

National leader Christopher Luxon has revealed the party’s policy to ban cellphones at schools, to help children focus on their lessons.

“Many schools here and overseas have experienced positive outcomes, including improved achievement, after banning the use of cellphones,” he said.

During a press conference on Wednesday, Luxon said he wanted no distractions in the classroom.

“Research is really obvious in Canada, UK and the US and the Australian experience is having positive outcomes,” he said.

Luxon said he wanted to set children up well for 21st century technology and there were “plenty of hours” outside of school to learn.

“Mobile phones are hugely distracting… we want our kids focused.”

Luxon teased the policy on Tuesday, when he was at St Joseph’s School Fairfield in Hamilton, but outlined it on Wednesday morning.

Phones would only be permitted for educational purposes or for health reasons, but schools could decide how to enforce the ban.

At the moment, schools determine their own phone policies and practices.

Phones are often sources of disruption in the classroom, and Luxon’s announcement is likely to be popular with parents who are worried about their child’s wellbeing and cyberbullying.

It is also a timely announcement. Last month, the UN’s education, science and culture agency, recommended smartphones be banned from schools.

In a report, it linked excessive mobile phone use to worsening educational performance and classroom disruptions, and found high levels of screen time had a negative effect on children’s emotional stability.

One in four countries were introducing laws to ban smartphones in schools.

Added to this, the quality of the nation’s education system is consistently a top concern for voters, and National’s education spokesperson Erica Stanford has ensured poor school results have had a significant amount of political and media attention.