Appearing on GMB, Sarah discussed government guidance that says schools in England should prohibit the use of mobile phones, saying they are 'not appropriate' for education.
Sarah Beeny Calls for Smart Device Ban
Sarah Beeny calls for the government to ban smart devices from schools, saying they are 'a distraction', but a school governor says it's important for children to learn how to be tech savvy.
Sarah Beeny called for the government to ban smart devices from schools. Read More
By Ellen Coughlan For Mailonline
Published: 11:47 BST, 22 July 2024 | Updated: 11:52 BST, 22 July 2024
A debate broke out on Good Morning Britain as guests discussed whether smart devices should be banned in schools. Broadcaster Sarah Beeny called for the government to ban smart devices from schools, saying they are 'a distraction', while school governor Ana Vilhete said it's important for children to learn how to be tech savvy.
It comes after Sarah slammed her son's £33,000-a-year private school for making iPads a requirement for learning and their over-reliance on technology. Government guidance in England says that schools should 'prohibit the use of mobile phones', but they are able to choose an approach that suits them.
Sarah said: "My concern is the tech is not appropriate for education because it is so distracting. Social media is really toxic for the younger generation, for developing minds; they don't learn social skills. The confidence you learn from talking to someone face-to-face rather than retreating into a world which is not a humanized world. Everyone knows it's not great for developing minds and you're not learning social skills."
Meanwhile, Ana disagreed, saying schools can 'utilize' devices and learn how to become 'tech savvy.' Ana said: "As long as schools utilize the devices responsibly it's absolutely fine. There are restrictions, there are websites and apps that children can utilize. Children are only on the devices for a couple of hours a day; they won't be on them from 9 to 3 pm in the afternoon."
Sarah added: "I am not against computers in schools, that would be ridiculous. But having owner-enabled devices in a school, which is either a smartphone or tablet, if you own it you take it home and you are carrying around something that is clearly addictive."
Ana argued that it is important for children to learn how to be tech savvy because 'we live in a digital world.' She added: "My last point is how about those children who can't afford to have devices at home? How are they able to have any digital aptitude."
People rushed to X, formerly known as Twitter, to leave their own views on the controversial topic.
One person said: "Parents need to take responsibility, they gave their children the phones not the school so step up and be a parent!!!"
Another said: "Literally a world of knowledge at their fingertips. Would be more pragmatic to incorporate it into their lessons."
Someone else said: "Pros and cons for both sides. There’s a safety aspect for parents and children to communicate when needed. Schools could possibly have a tray that phones are placed in on the teacher's desk when entering a classroom. Teachers carry their phones too…"
A fourth wrote: "Children under 16 should only be allowed simple mobile devices that call & text. There is no need for a younger person to have a sophisticated mobile phone which gives them access & others access to them on things they do not understand. Social Media is the cause of many problems."
It comes after Sarah slammed her son's £33,000-a-year private school for making iPads a requirement for learning and their over-reliance on technology. The 52-year-old has described the dependence on technology as 'really, really toxic', expressing the idea that the incorporation of iPads at school has made it 'impossible' for the presenter to limit screen time at home.
Sarah has four sons Billy, 20, Charlie, 18, Rafferty, 14, and Laurie, 12, with artist husband Graham Swift. All either attend or have previously attended before graduating, Millfield School in Somerset. The property expert said: "That's basically like asking someone to diet and then shoving the entire fridge full of cream doughnuts and saying, 'Could you just meander and find the carrot at the bottom?' and then expecting to use self-control. And when they don't use self-control you say, 'Well, what is wrong with you?' I don't think you can pass it back to the parents."
Sarah has described her frustration with the use of technology in schools, saying devices stopped children's 'brains developing' and limited their social skills. She has called on schools to impose tighter restrictions on devices, saying no child should be able to 'look up a game' on school-owned technology. She added: "Pupils shouldn't be able to do anything because it's like a school textbook. You don't have a school textbook and then stick Beano in the back of it, do you?"
Sarah's frustration extends to the difficulty in monitoring screen time, expressing that the incorporation of technology affects all families, not just herself.
In England, it is currently up to individual heads to decide policies on mobile phones and whether they should be banned. The guidance, which is non-statutory, instructs headteachers on how to ban the use of phones not only during lessons but during break and lunch periods as well. It offers four different policies that schools can adopt to enforce it, including banning phones from the school premises, handing in phones on arrival at school, and keeping phones securely locked away at school. A fourth option allows pupils to keep hold of their phones, provided they are never used, seen, or heard.
Almost all children – 97 per cent – now have mobile phones by the age of 12, according to Ofcom.
author Editor,Ellen Coughlan