Mobile phones were left at home when Waiheke High School’s year seven and eight students returned from mid-year holidays this week.
“Staff are very concerned that students were spending too much time at interval and lunchtime not doing good physical and social interactions with other kids,” principal Jude Young told Gulf News.
Mrs Young says there was an overwhelming feeling among teachers to exclude phones for terms three and four this year with the change affecting 124 students across years seven and eight.
She says the school’s board of trustees was overwhelmingly supportive of the proposal and feedback from parents has been very positive.
The use of phones at school has been a result of a societal creep towards the use of IT and social media, she says, and there were concerns about the addictive nature of social media and mobile phones. Some students also need further training in using phones responsibly for the wellbeing of themselves and others, she says.• Erin Johnson
Full story in this week’s Gulf News… Out Now!!!
