Perth Private School Extends Ban on Smartphones for Year 7 and 8 Students

Perth's prestigious Hale School has announced an extension of its ban on smartphones and social media for its year 7 and 8 students, following overwhelming parent support. The initiative, first introduced last year, has been hailed as a success by parents and an education expert. The policy prohibits students from owning smartphones or smartwatches and accessing social media, with the exception of "dumb phones" for emergencies. The school's headmaster, Dean Dell'Oro, credits the initiative's success to a collaboration between families and school staff.

Key Takeaways:

• The Hale School's initiative delays access to smartphones and social media for its year 7 and 8 students, with a "dumb phone" policy in place for emergencies.
• The policy has been extended after receiving glowing feedback from parents, who supported the initiative's expansion to year 8 students.
• Education expert Professor Karen Murcia from Curtin University's School of Education praises the "co-design" approach of the policy, but cautions it may not work in all schools.
• The initiative is aligned with the government's social media ban for under-16s, but Murcia emphasizes the importance of educating children to become "digital citizens" with self-regulation, social and emotional awareness, and digital competencies.
• The Hale School's policy is a collaboration between families and school staff, with headmaster Dean Dell'Oro saying it wouldn't have succeeded without parental support.
• Students at another Perth school, John Septimus Roe, have voluntarily sworn off social media ahead of the national ban's implementation in December.

Statistics:

• 100% of year 7 parents at Hale School supported the extension of the initiative to year 8 students.
• 50% of year 7 parents reported a positive impact on their child's behavior since the initiative's implementation.
• 80% of year 8 parents at the school have expressed concern about the potential effects of smartphones on their children's mental health.
• The government's social media ban for under-16s is set to come into effect in December.

Sources:

• PerthNow article "Hale School extends ban on social media and smartphones for year 7 and 8 students"
• Curtin University's School of Education
• PerthNow article "Perth students taking a stand against social media"
• Australian government press release on social media ban for under-16s