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‘Put learners first’: Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools
(www.theguardian.com)
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this post was submitted on 26 Jul 2023
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My son always has his phone at school. Given how America is I wouldn't send him to school without a way to get a hold of me.
The issue is that smartphones have features that are way more interesting than school. Can you send your kid to school with a simple phone that can only make calls and send and receive SMS?
You could, but in reality you should have the parenting ability to trust your kid not to be constantly on their phone in school. If you can't trust your kid to stay off their phone during class and only use it during breaks, lunch, after or before school, etc. Then you've failed as a parent.
I was a high schooler last year and by this standard, every single one of my classmates' parents are complete failures, including mine. Not that I disagree, but clearly we can't trust the parents to do anything about this.
Yeah because most of our parents are trash at it and make kids because "that's what people do"
If the parents fail the parents fail, the kids at the high school and up age should understand the values of education and the importance of paying attention. If they want to fuck up their lives that's on them. Giving the government more power to do shit like this will only lead to headache and abuse of power, the same story as every other time the government is given more power.
The thing about adopting the "live and let live" philosophy with children is that children are psychologically incapable of understanding the consequences of their actions, or exercising proper impulse control. If their parents have failed them then it is the moral obligation of the rest of society to make up for it.
High school aged children definitely can understand the concept. I would argue middle school aged children can as well. Again, if the parents are worried the kids are spending too long on their phones they can do something about it, not the gov.
High school aged children are well known to be complete and utter dumbasses, especially when it comes to making mistakes who's consequences are abstract and long-term in nature. Punishment by social superiors is oftentimes the only thing preventing them from doing idiotic things, because their brains are not developed enough to think very far into the future. And even then, proper impulse control is one of the last things a developing brain develops, so they might understand the issues but be psychologically incapable of the self-control needed for it. Not to mention, social media apps are designed by psychology experts in Silicon Valley to be as addictive and distracting as possible, since that's how you get people to use your app. Having those in your pocket, when you're too young and dumb to understand the consequences of overusing it, and can't even exercise self control when they're pointed out to you? It would be irresponsible for us adults to continue allowing it.
Parents aren't worried about this, and that's the root of the problem. If the school system does nothing about it, then the kids will just end up addicted to TikTok and completely unprepared for the world on account of being distracted in class. Their parents aren't going to do anything about it until it's too late.
Because this is not about trust. Don't overestimate your or your kid's contribution. Our brains seek to use as little energy and effort as possible, always. The right strategy is to reduce the amount of distracting factors in school.
Do “good parents” really all have this level of robotic control over their kids?
Do you really give a zero to “nature” in the nature vs. nurture behavioral influence?
Do y'all not have the self control to stay off your phones in class? I just graduated, I was fine, so was the rest of my class. Unlimited access to our phones but we didn't because we knew it was important. Reread my last statement, my entire argument is for none of the government control, it should be up to the parents to instill the values of education and trust their kid not to fuck it up, like parents have been doing forever. If the parents can't trust their kids to not fuck up their schooling and need the government to step in and do it for them then they have failed as parents.