Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the thousands of people who invested their time and energy in completing surveys, making submissions and providing commentary that has informed the work of the review. In particular, we would like to acknowledge the input from the many thousands of young people who took the time and effort to make submissions. We are also grateful to the many external experts consulted during this process. We are most appreciative for the help and support from the NSW Department of Education staff who have rendered invaluable help to the review team.

Message from the review team

In reviewing the risks and benefits associated with the use of mobile digital devices, primarily smartphones, in NSW schools, we were particularly keen to identify approaches and practices that can be adopted to support children and young people to use such devices in safe, responsible and informed ways. Specifically, we have attempted to:

• Assess the extent to which having smartphones in NSW schools has contributed to or exacerbated risks to children and young people including from online (or cyber) bullying, image-based abuse and access to other online harm.
• Assess the extent to which having smartphones in NSW schools has contributed to the wellbeing and educational experiences of young people.
• Identify how children and young people can be best prepared to manage these risks and generally supported to use smartphones in safe, responsible and informed ways in school and by extension, other environments.
• Identify practices and approaches that can help schools and parents support children and young people to use smartphones in safe, responsible and informed ways in school and by extension, other environments.
• Consider whether a restriction or other limits should be placed on smartphone use for children in primary school or children in certain age brackets.

Terms of reference

The terms of reference for the review are as follows:

1. Conduct a review of evidence related to the benefits and risks of mobile digital devices*, primarily smartphones, in schools for children and young people and approaches and practices to support students’ use of such devices in safe, responsible, and informed ways. This will include:
   1. An international literature review on the use and impact of mobile digital devices in all school settings – primary, secondary, Schools for Specific Purposes (SSPs) and Central Schools. This will include peer-reviewed scholarship from across disciplines and ‘grey’ literature (such as program evaluations and reports on evidence-based interventions).
   2. Stakeholder consultation and feedback via focus groups and other mechanisms.
2. The consultation with children and young people will include when, how, and why they use mobile digital devices in order that the review’s recommendations align with and can effectively and meaningfully impact their practices.
3. The review will assess the extent to which having mobile digital devices in schools may contribute to or exacerbate identified risks, including cyberbullying, image-based abuse, and access to online harm in schools.
4. The review will identify how children and young people can best be prepared to mitigate identified risks.
5. The review will identify best-practice approaches and practices for schools and parents to support students’ use of mobile digital devices in safe, responsible, and informed ways to promote learning and respectful relationships.
6. The review will consider whether a restriction or other limits should be placed on smartphone use for children in primary schools or children in certain age brackets. The practices of other jurisdictions will be informative in this regard.

*Mobile digital device: a hand-held electronic device that can receive, store, process and send digital information.

Background

On 21 June 2018, the NSW Government called for a review into the use of mobile digital devices, specifically smartphones, in NSW schools. The review was initiated because of:

• A recognition that schools across NSW employ diverse practices to facilitate, to regulate or to restrict the use of mobile digital devices and that these practices have not been examined in a structured way.
• A recognition that the guidance that exists around smartphone use in schools may not have been assessed for efficacy in the NSW schools context nor consolidated for use by schools.
• An acknowledgement that educators may need better support and guidance in navigating the use and regulation of ever-evolving technology.
• A need to provide better guidance to schools on the practices and approaches that can be employed to help students best use mobile digital devices in safe, responsible and informed ways.
• The ongoing prevalence of harm to students, including instances of student suicide and self-harm, allegedly resulting from cyberbullying and other harms linked to smartphones.
• Other indicators about a general decline in student wellbeing including: a 10 year high in youth suicide; reported increase in self harm, depression and anxiety over the last two decades; as well as a decline in performance in maths, reading and science, with a disproportionate fall among the lowest performing students.
• Divided expert opinion on the impacts of smartphone use on students’ psychological, physical and mental health and overall wellbeing.
• A body of anecdotal evidence on harms (such as distraction in class and detrimental impacts on students’ psychological, physical and mental health) that is not captured in formal research but should be considered in policy and practice.
• An apparent increase in instances of smartphone use being banned in schools or for children in certain age brackets, at the individual school level and in some cases nationwide.
• An acknowledgement that use of and familiarisation with technology, including smartphones, is essential to the future livelihood and productivity of students and that there are benefits to the use of smartphones in schools.
• A recognition that the safe, responsible and informed use of mobile devices, particularly smartphones, in schools may have flow-on effects into other environments (such as homes), later life and overall wellbeing.
• A need to assist schools meet their duty of care obligations to students in light of the varied harms that smartphones may be correlated to.
• A recognition that in NSW public schools smartphone use is governed by diverse departmental policies, including technology, network access, social media, curriculum and bring your own device policies, and that the prevalence of smartphone use in schools warrants review in its own right.
• An understanding that technology is ever-evolving and requires flexible, iterative and technology-neutral responses.
• A belief that the diverse and emerging views of all members of the school community and other stakeholders should inform the policies and practices employed in schools.
• The department’s ongoing commitment and obligation to address emerging issues in regards to student wellbeing, health and safety and promote the digital capacities of students.
• A reviewer, Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, was appointed to conduct the review. Dr Carr-Gregg appointed two other independent experts, Associate Professor Amanda Third and cybersafety expert Susan McLean, to assist him in the review.

Terminology

Definitions of terms used frequently in the report are included below.

Image-based abuse: occurs when an intimate, nude or sexually explicit image is distributed without the consent of those pictured. This includes real, altered (e.g. photoshopped) and drawn pictures and videos. It can also include cartoon adaptations of an image. While most image-based abuse is about the sharing of images without consent, it can also include the threat of an image being shared. Whilst historically the term used to describe this behaviour was ‘revenge porn’, it is now recognised that the images shared do not always fit the description of pornography and that the sharing or threatening to share is not always motivated by revenge.

Bullying: is an ongoing and deliberate misuse of power in relationships through repeated verbal, physical and/or social behaviour that intends to cause physical, social and/or psychological harm. It can involve an individual or a group misusing their power, or perceived power, over one or more persons who feel unable to stop it from happening. Bullying can happen in person or online, via various digital platforms and devices and it can be obvious (overt) or hidden (covert). Bullying behaviour is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time (for example, through sharing of digital records). Bullying of any form or for any reason can have immediate, medium and long-term effects on those involved, including bystanders. Single incidents and conflict or fights between equals, whether in person or online, are not defined as bullying.

Cyberbullying: Cyberbullying can be described as any repeated harassment, insults and humiliation that occurs through electronic mediums such as email, smartphones, social networking sites, instant messaging programs, chat rooms, web-sites and through the playing of online games. Cyberbullying is not one isolated nasty comment or post but a repeated action.

Sexting…or sending Nudes, Naked Selfies, DicPics or TitPics: Is the act of sending sexually explicit or naked messages, photos or videos electronically, primarily between smartphones, but can include internet applications such as SnapChat, email, or social networking sites.

Cybersafety: The safe, responsible and informed use of digital media and technology. It is about keeping information safe and secure but also about being responsible with that information and being respectful of other people online.

Office of eSafety Commissioner digital citizenship definition: digital citizenship is about confident and positive engagement with digital technology. A digital citizen is a person with the skills and knowledge to effectively use digital technologies to participate in society, communicate with others, and create and consume digital content.

Non-educational use: use in school time that falls outside the NSW curriculum and teacher-directed learning. In this review, the term applied to the use of personal devices and data in a manner that has not been authorised by the school.

Mobile digital device: a hand-held electronic device that can generate, receive, store, process and send digital information, including photos and videos. For the purposes of this review, mobile digital devices include smartphones, smartwatches and mobile tablets but not laptops. The review team make a distinction between personal use devices that often have independent internet connectivity which bypasses the school internet filter and devices that are provided by the school and or authorised by the school as part of teacher-directed educational activities.

Research methodology

The review consulted widely with students, educators, parents/carers and other interested members of the community through:

• An anonymous online survey offered to students, educators and parents/carers, which gathered almost 14,000 responses
• Confidential focus groups with a sample of students, teachers and parents/carers from across NSW
• Confidential interviews with a sample of government and non-government school principals from a variety of school types from across NSW
• Interviews with people, including school administrators, peak bodies and police, with specialised expertise and knowledge from NSW and other jurisdictions
• Confidential written submissions made online and via email
• A review of public policy, key research and other documentation, including existing school policies and procedures, from NSW and other jurisdictions
• A formal literature review on the use and impact of smartphones in school settings.

Public submissions and survey responses were received between 17 September and 19 October 2018. Focus groups, interviews and other consultations occurred during and outside of this time period. An external market research firm, Ipsos Public Affairs Pty Ltd, was engaged to conduct the focus groups and the majority of the principal interviews. The Western Sydney University was engaged to assist in the assessment of the qualitative data received in the survey responses. The literature review was completed by the NSW Department of Education. More details on the research approach can be found in Appendix 1.

A range of views and opinions were expressed on this issue and at times contradictory evidence was provided to the review team. While the team has attempted to articulate all sides of an issue, at times they have needed to make findings one way or another.

Unless permission has been expressly provided by the author/s, all submissions and survey responses are being kept strictly confidential. No person or organisation participating in the research has been identified in this report without their express permission.

All records from the research are stored and destroyed according to NSW Government policy.

Stakeholder consultation at a glance

The review has been informed by public consultation and the voices and views of students, parents, teachers, principals and child development, cyberbullying, mental health and technology experts.

The voices and views of children and young people were central to the review and ultimately to the success of any practices and policies that may be adopted because of it. The review has specifically received and assessed evidence from children and young people on how and why they use smartphones to ensure that any advice provided by the review aligns with, and can effectively and meaningfully impact their practices.

A total of 13761 survey responses were received, and of these:

• 64.24% (8840) were from students
• 21.42% (2948) were from educators (teachers or principals)
• 14.34% (1973) were from parents/carers[1]

Of those students who responded to the survey:

• 15.17% (994) were from students in primary school
• 64.53% (4229) were from students in years 7-10
• 20.31% (1331) were from students in years 11-12

Thirty-five focus groups were conducted with students, parents and teachers, with each cohort interviewed separately. Fourteen in-depth interviews were conducted with principals.

Written submissions were received from a variety of external organisations including but not limited to: the Office of the eSafety Commissioner; the Alannah & Madeline Foundation; yourtown; Catholic Schools NSW; the Federation of Parents & Citizens Association of NSW; NSW Teachers Federation; Council of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT; University of Technology Sydney (UTS) STEM Education Futures Research Centre; FIC Technology Pty, Ltd; the Black Dog Institute; the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association Ltd; Media and Communications Program, University of Melbourne; Media, Film and Journalism, Monash University; National Centre Against Bullying; The Behavioural Insights Team (UK), Australian Council on Children and the Media; Macquarie University; and the Australian Computing Academy at the University of Sydney.

The review team have also met or consulted independently with numerous stakeholders including: the NSW Primary Principals’ Association; the NSW Secondary Principals’ Council; the Association of Independent Schools of NSW; Catholic Schools NSW; the Independent Primary School Heads of Australia; the New Zealand Ministry of Education; the Office of the NSW Advocate for Children and Young People; and a sample of schools. The review team have met with relevant parties in other jurisdictions including Queensland, Victoria, Hong Kong and New Zealand.

The review has examined the policies, practices and views of both government and non-government schools in NSW, including schools for specific purposes and central schools.

Review team

Dr Michael Carr-Gregg

The NSW Minister for Education appointed Dr Michael Carr-Gregg to conduct the review. Dr Carr-Gregg is a child and adolescent psychologist specialising in adolescent mental health and parenting adolescents. His special interest is in the use of technology in the form of smartphones, web-based programs and biometric devices in the promotion of wellbeing and treatment of high prevalence disorders. He is the founder of CanTeen, the acclaimed cancer patients’ support group for teenagers in Australia and New Zealand. In 1995, he was appointed an Associate Professor in the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Melbourne. In 2003, he was one of the founding members of the National Centre Against Bullying and became one of their national spokespersons. He is the author of 14 books, the Parenting Expert in Channel 7’s top-rating Sunrise program, has a regular spot on Fairfax radio 3AW and SkyNews. He is married with two sons and is a much sought after speaker on issues affecting adolescents and their parents.[2]

Other experts

In conducting the review, Dr Carr-Gregg has been supported by two independent experts, Susan McLean and Associate Professor Amanda Third from Western Sydney University.

Susan McLean

Susan is Australia’s leading expert in the area of cybersafety and was a member of Victoria Police for 27 years. She was the first Victorian police officer appointed to a position involving cybersafety and young people, where she established and managed the Victoria Police Cybersafety Project. She has completed advanced training in the USA in 2007, 2012 & 2015 including the Protecting Children Online Certificate from Fox Valley Technical College and has successfully completed the ‘University Certificate in Child Safety on the Internet’ from the University of Central Lancashire, United Kingdom. She also has qualifications from Netsmartz/NCMEC (USA) and NSPCC/CEOP (UK). She collaborates with a variety of international bodies and is a member of both the Australian Government’s Online Safety Consultative Working Group and the National Centre Against Bullying. Susan provides regular advice and assistance to Australian families and schools in relation to online issues and presents to over 75,000 students per year as well as 1000s of parents and educators. She is often a conduit between a victim of online abuse (and their families) and law enforcement to ensure criminal activity is reported and investigated. Susan is married with 3 children and is a passionate advocate for young people to ensure that they have safe and positive online experiences.[3]

Associate Professor Amanda Third

Amanda is Principal Research Fellow in the Institute for Culture and Society at Western Sydney University, Australia. Her research explores the socio-cultural dimensions of young people’s technology use, with particular emphases on children’s and young people’s rights in the digital age, the intergenerational dynamics shaping technology practice, and vulnerable young people’s technological engagements. Amanda has led a series of large-scale, cross-sector and collaborative research projects, having worked with major corporates (e.g. Google; Telstra), startups (e.g. Catalyser, Project Rockit) global policy making organisations (e.g. UNICEF, Global Partnership to End Violence), not-for-profit organisations (e.g. Starlight Children's Foundation, Foundation for Young Australians) and government and statutory bodies (e.g. Office of the eSafety Commissioner). From 2011-2016, Amanda led a research program in the Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre, which united young people with researchers, practitioners, innovators and policy-makers from over 75 partner organisations across the not-for-profit, academic, government and corporate sectors to explore how young people's technology use can be leveraged to improve their mental health and wellbeing. Amanda currently co-leads the Intergener8 Living Lab in Western Sydney, which is co-developing technology-based strategies to support intergenerational resilience with over 100 stakeholders. She is lead author of Young and Online: Children’s Perspectives on Life in the Digital Age (UNICEF, 2017) and Young People in Digital Society: Control/Shift (Palgrave, 2019). She is a member of the Australian Government’s Online Safety Consultative Working Group, and Expert Advisor to Global Kids Online and UNICEF's C4D Adolescent Digital Engagement Strategy.[4]

Enquiries about the review

For any enquiries about the review, including requests for information in accessible formats, please email review-mobiledevices@det.nsw.edu.au

If you need to speak to a counsellor or support person, the support services listed below can help you:

• Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800
• Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Key findings and recommendations

As mobile digital devices are adopted by ever larger numbers of children and young people in New South Wales, the review team is mindful that our approaches to the use of such devices in schools must heed international expert advice that the mitigation of the potential risks of harm must be matched by a commitment to nurturing the positive potential of digital media use for children and young people. This is critical if we are to adequately prepare children and young people for the digital future. In this spirit, the review team makes the following recommendations.

Recommendation – Implement a mandatory ‘digital licence’ for all students in NSW

The review team recommends that, before they are allowed to use any digital devices at school, all NSW school students be required to sit and pass a ‘digital licence’ competency test.

Students should sit for their first digital licence no later than year 3. A second, more advanced version of the digital licence should be completed by each student upon commencement of high school.

The licencing process will require that students first complete a series of interactive, online educational modules, ideally with their parent or carer. This training should address the use of all digital devices, including mobile digital devices.

The review team recommends that, in conjunction with the Office of the eSafety Commissioner and other expert organisations, the NSW Government undertake an independent evaluation of any existing licence-like resources and invest in the collaborative development of a bespoke digital licence if existing resources are found lacking.

The review team recommends that any licence should be made available to students in government and non-government schools in NSW at no cost.

Engaging parents, schools and children in the digital licence process reflects the shared responsibility for cybersafety education. From a parenting perspective, the licence represents an effort to reduce the burden of responsibility for cybersafety education on schools, and to incentivise Australian parents to an authoritative style of engagement around their children’s use of mobile digital devices in a responsible manner. Where it is not possible for the child to complete this training at home or with a parent/carer, schools should provide this service. Consideration should also be given to the provision of this service by local public libraries.

The digital licence education modules should be based on the Office of the eSafety Commissioner’s digital citizenship principles, which outline a holistic and life-long approach to digital citizenship and comprise technical literacies and capabilities, social and emotional competencies, as well as personal rights and responsibilities to others. Upon completion of these modules, each child will be issued with a digital licence that acknowledges they have completed training to enable their safer use of mobile and other digital devices.

The review team recognises that some students start using digital devices for educational purposes from as early as kindergarten and an elementary version of the licence might be appropriate for this population.

To ensure the effective allocation of resources, and to reduce duplication, national consistency around such education resources should be prioritised.

The review team acknowledges that an existing digital licence (Google Digital Licence www.digitallicence.com.au) is already in use in some NSW schools and in other jurisdictions, including Queensland. The licence covers eight key topics, combines learning resources and interactive quizzes to evaluate comprehension and knowledge around cybersafety, and is targeted at children eight years and above. A version of the licence is available for both primary and secondary school students and it aligns to the Australian curriculum. The review team urges the NSW Government to assess the outcomes of an independent evaluation of this resource that has recently been completed in order to determine whether it is a useful resource on which to base the NSW digital licence.

Recommendation – Provide mandatory cyber safety education for students

In addition to the training modules put in place for the digital licence, the review team recommends that mandatory cyber safety and digital literacy education be in place in all schools in NSW. This is to ensure that all students in NSW receive consistent, quality and ongoing training in cyber safety and digital competencies across their education. The cyber safety education should cover all areas of cyber safety and not simply focus on one element (e.g. cyberbullying) and should include a students’ legal obligations when using digital technology. The review team recommends that training in cyber safety and digital literacy should:

• be embedded in the curriculum;
• be taught by appropriately trained and resourced classroom teachers;
• cover the full range of potential safety issues students may encounter online;
• offer clear strategies to enable children and young people to take steps to mitigate the potential risks of harm;
• create spaces for children and young people to understand and explore the opportunities and benefits of engaging online; and
• foster students’ development of the technical, creative and higher order evaluative skills necessary to positive online experiences.

Where external providers are utilised to support cyber safety in schools, the review team recommends that the NSW Government and non-government school sector commit to utilising only those providers who are accredited by the Office of the eSafety Commissioner.

The review team recommends that any cyber safety education resources used in schools be rigorously evaluated.

This recommendation reflects:

• the need to skill children and young people to actively deal with the potential risks of harm they encounter when using mobile digital devices;
• the integral role of technology now and in their future lives;
• the current use of mobile digital devices as educational tools; and
• opportunities to better leverage mobile technology for educational purposes.
• Schools are best positioned to deliver this training to the greatest number of children and young people in NSW.

The review team noted that all of the schools consulted were able to demonstrate some level of commitment to cyber safety education for students. However, variation in the quality and comprehensiveness of the education programs in place was apparent. Evaluation will help ensure that mobile devices are used in the safest, most responsible and best informed ways possible.

The review team considers the strength of any certification/accreditation demonstrated by providers who develop and deliver this training on behalf of schools to be central to the efficacy of cyber safety education.

Recommendation – Review the adequacy of existing cyber safety education in the curriculum and ICT general capability

The review team found that a comprehensive central assessment of all existing cyber safety education in NSW might be warranted, including an assessment of the content of the current curriculum as it relates to cyber safety, as this was not part of this review’s Terms of Reference.

The review recommends that a review of schools’ approaches to the ICT general capability also be undertaken, as this was not part of the review’s Terms of Reference.

Such an assessment should aim to identify and suggest strategies for addressing any existing gaps in the curriculum relating to cyber safety.

Consideration of these issues was not part of the review’s Terms of Reference but the review team heard evidence that an assessment of this nature may be warranted. Any such assessment should aim to identify and suggest strategies for addressing any existing gaps in the curriculum relating to cyber safety.

Recommendation – Provide better quality and more cyber safety education for teachers, including NESA-registered professional learning

The review team recommends that the NSW Government consider an examination of pre-service and teacher professional learning and consider additional investment in professional learning, particularly NESA-registered professional learning (if required).

The review team also recommends that the NSW government conduct an audit of teacher training in cyber safety to identify how to better equip teachers to embed the teaching of cyber safety skills and competencies, as well as to nurture students’ capacities to leverage the benefits of technology, in the curriculum.

To mitigate the risks and maximise the opportunities of mobile devices in classrooms, it is critical that all teachers in NSW schools are well equipped to:

• manage the use of mobile devices;
• guide young people’s development of necessary digital literacies; and
• exploit the teaching and learning opportunities these devices present.

The review team heard that teachers currently in service, and those currently training to become educators, would welcome additional teacher training in all aspects of mobile device management and use. This could include a consideration of how robust current certification standards are for providers of mobile digital device-related training.

Recommendation – Restrict the use of smartphones for students in primary school

Reflecting the current practice of the vast majority of primary schools in NSW, the review team recommends that a state-wide restriction be placed on the use of smartphones for students in primary school in NSW.

Given that many children require a mobile phone to travel to and from school, the review team recommends that the NSW Government resource facilities to ensure the safe storage of children’s mobile devices in government primary schools during school hours.

The review team recommends that, where a parent wishes their child to take a smartphone to and from a primary school, they should opt either to purchase a ‘dumb’ phone or other device without internet access or a camera, or alternatively use parental controls to deactivate the camera and internet functionality on an existing ‘smart’ device.

The review team recommends that the NSW Government provide accessible information to schools about how to deactivate such functionality on devices (e.g. existing smartphones that may already have been handed down to children by adult carers). This information could then be communicated by schools to parents and carers.

The review team noted that, even where schools are deploying tablets, laptops and desktop computers in the teaching of the curriculum (all using school filtering systems), it appears that the majority of primary schools in NSW have already restricted the use of smartphones in both classrooms and in the playground. Schools have a wide variety of policies and processes in place to support the implementation of this restriction. The review team considers there are strong ethical and legal reasons to justify such a restriction. In particular, we note schools’ duty of care to provide a safe learning environment and reported increases in cases of stalking, inappropriate peer-to-peer contact, access to pornography and image-based abuse among primary school students.

The review team heard about some possible inconsistencies between departmental and school policies and legal considerations regarding the safe storage of children’s digital devices at school. If a state-wide restriction were to be implemented, these inconsistencies would need to be resolved and communicated to schools.

The review team notes the report from the eSafety Commissioner, that one in four students under the age of 12 are being stalked, harassed and abused online. A total of 24 per cent of those aged 8 to 12 received unwanted contact from strangers online last year and this rose to nearly half of all 13 to 17-year-olds (42 per cent)[5].

Based on feedback received by the review team, it is anticipated that the recommendation for a state-wide ban on smartphones in primary school during the school day, will be supported by both government and non-government primary school principal organisations. There are strong indications that this restriction will also be supported by teachers and parents.

The review team notes that many parents regard their child having a smartphone as an essential communication tool, especially going to and from school. In light of this, the review team recommends that schools make provision for the safe storage of mobile digital devices during the school day. Consideration should be given to involving the whole school community in determining the most practical way to store these devices during the school day that is equitable, secure and manageable. This should ideally involve a consultation process with teachers, students and parents. Principals should make the final decision.

Models of mobile digital device policy for schools’ consideration

Model 1

Complete restriction on unauthorised use of mobile devices in school hours, including recess and lunchtime. In some instances, schools may choose to apply these restrictions to students while they are in school uniform travelling to and from school, during school excursions and extra-curricular activities on school grounds. Students must hand their mobile digital devices in at the beginning of the school day and collect them after school or store them in an approved location. Schools need to provide secure storage facilities to ensure the viability of this model. Schools also must recognise that implementing complete restriction potentially has an opportunity cost for students’ long-term development of digital skills and literacies (though this model permits teacher-endorsed use). Examples include The Shore School (NSW),[6] John Edmondson High School (NSW)[7] or MacKinnon High (VIC)[8]. Mount St Benedict College in Pennant Hills, St Andrew’s Cathedral School in Sydney, Kamaroi Rudolf Steiner School[9] in Belrose.

Model 2

Developmentally-defined restriction on unauthorised use of mobile devices in school hours for students in years 7-10. This model recognises older students’ increased capacity to self-regulate in relation to their mobile digital device use. Schools need to provide secure storage facilities for the storage of mobile digital devices when not in use by students. Eg: Cranbrook School in Bellevue Hill where Junior School students and students in Years 7 to 9 are not permitted to have this phone turned on during school hours and must keep it secured in their bag or locker and students in Years 10 to 12 may use phones during recess and lunch breaks for communication purposes only.[10]

Model 2A) Complete restriction of the use of mobile phones in secondary schools, with the exception of Years 11-12, who are permitted to use their mobile digital devices at any time during school hours. The French model is an example of this.

Model 2B) Complete restriction of the use of mobile phones in secondary schools, with the exception of Years 11-12, who are permitted to use their mobile digital devices in specific physical locations and/or at certain times. An example includes Camberwell Girls Grammar School (VIC)

Model 3

Partial restriction on unauthorised use of mobile devices in school hours. The aim of the partial restriction model is to enable students to develop the habit of routinely disconnecting, thereby encouraging them to learn the value of self-regulation of their technology use. Schools need to provide secure storage facilities during designated technology-free days or times to ensure the viability of this model. Schools should complement partial restriction with clear policy about how technology is to be used outside technology-free periods or spaces (e.g. Models 4 and 5 below). For example, Queenwood School for Girls in Mosman[11] ask parents of K-6 students to only provide students with ‘dumb phones’.

Model 3A) School-designated technology-free days (e.g. Technology-free Tuesdays). On a regular day (e.g. weekly or fortnightly) students are required to leave their mobile digital devices at home or hand them in at the beginning of the school day and collect them after school. An example includes St Paul's Catholic College (NSW).

Model 3B) School-designated technology-free times and spaces. Use is permitted in specific physical locations and/or at certain times only. Examples include Wodonga Senior Secondary (VIC)[12] and Newington (NSW)[13].

Model 4

No restriction on unauthorised use of mobile devices in school hours (including during school excursions and extra-curricular activities on school grounds). To be effective, this model requires that the school actively work with students and their families – both formally and informally – to ensure they understand their responsibilities to themselves and others regarding appropriate mobile digital device use. This model allows individual teachers to make their own rules for their own classroom. The school needs to have a well-developed policy around the encouragement and enforcement of students’ safe, responsible and informed use of mobile digital devices, and to ensure that teachers are well-equipped to support such use. An example includes Wantirna College (VIC)[14].

Model 5

The active promotion of the use of mobile devices for educational and other purposes, during school hours. To be effective, this model requires that the school actively work with students and their families – both formally and informally – to ensure they understand their responsibilities to themselves and others regarding appropriate mobile digital device use. The school needs to have a well-developed policy around the encouragement and enforcement of students’ safe, responsible and informed use of mobile digital devices, and to ensure that teachers are well-equipped to support such use. Schools need to understand and ensure their legal responsibilities to ensure students’ duty of care. Teachers need to be supported to develop the skills and resources to maximise the potential of devices in classroom teaching.

Some of the school policies referenced above are available in Appendix 2 (PDF 13011.37KB). To request this information in accessible formats, email review-mobiledevices@det.nsw.edu.au .

Recommendation – Provide better guidance for secondary schools, including policies that could be adopted depending on a school’s circumstances

Acknowledging concerns about the potential negative impacts of mobile digital devices on student wellbeing, but also taking into account the important role mobile digital devices can play in young people’s education, social life and sense of identity, the review team recommends that all NSW secondary schools develop and implement a specific policy/approach to guide the use of mobile digital devices in schools.

The review team recommends that secondary schools consider undertaking a consultation process with their communities to determine the most appropriate model for their circumstances.

Where a policy/approach is already in place in a school, it is recommended that schools be encouraged to evaluate the efficacy of and, where necessary, refine such policies/approaches in light of the evidence presented by this review.

The review team recommends that the implementation of any mobile digital device policy/approach be supported by clear communication between students, parents, teachers and school management.

Drawing on a comprehensive analysis of current policies/approaches in place in NSW schools to govern the use of mobile digital devices, and smartphones in particular, the review team has identified five possible models to guide schools in developing their own policy/approach, which are outlined in the table below.

The review team recommends that the NSW Government fund research to assess the strengths and weaknesses of these models in light of the paucity of peer-reviewed literature both nationally and internationally.

Despite anecdotal evidence received by the review team from students and staff to the contrary, the review recognises that there is, at the time of publication, no peer-reviewed evidence to suggest that the use of mobile devices in secondary schools during recess or lunchtime exposes students to additional risks of harm, including cyberbullying and image-based abuse.

The review team has received evidence that, when it comes to the use of mobile digital devices – and smartphones in particular – in secondary schools, there are a number of different models already in place for managing mobile digital device use in NSW and other Australian jurisdictions. The review team has distilled these approaches into five basic models that might be considered by schools for implementation.

The review team acknowledge that there are variations on all of these models, and encourages schools to work closely with their student and parent communities to adapt the above models in ways that suit their particular circumstances. Indeed, the review team heard evidence to suggest that the best possible uptake of mobile digital device policy requires the support of both parents and students and that schools are most likely to achieve such support when there is a meaningful parent and student consultation process to guide the development of the school’s policy/approach on mobile digital devices. The review team also heard evidence that, regardless of what kind of policy a school chooses to adopt, such policies are most successful when they are introduced with enough lead time to ensure that the rationale for the policy is adequately explained to everyone concerned.[10] Further, the review team notes that appropriate communication and training of teachers regarding the enforcement of the school’s policy on mobile digital devices is vital to the success of any such policy.

The review team notes that the lack of available evidence about the negative effects of students’ use of mobile phones at school has not been an impediment to the implementation of prohibitions on the use of smartphones and/or other mobile devices on countries such as the UK, (where 98% of schools[16] have some form of prohibition on mobile phones) France[17], Albania[18], Greece[19] and states in the United States of America (for example, Wisconsin[20]). However, the review team finds that, in the absence of such evidence, secondary schools are best positioned to determine the best policy for their school community.

Recommendation – Commission world-first, independent, qualitative and quantitative research

In addition to research previously mentioned, the review team recommends that the NSW Government commission world-first, independent, qualitative and quantitative research into a range of related issues, specifically:

• How and why primary and secondary school students use mobile devices in the classroom.
• The harms and benefits of smartphones in the school playground or yard.
• Children’s experience of the interface between home and school vis-à-vis consistency of rules and approaches, and support for their safe, responsible and informed use of mobile devices, including how teachers and parents may role model effective practice.
• How school staff (teachers and administrative staff) use mobile devices in their personal and professional lives and what scope there is to leverage these practices to enhance teaching practices, classroom management and pastoral care.
• To what extent schools might harness the potential of mobile devices and apps to enhance the building blocks of young people’s wellbeing, particularly sleep, diet, exercise and mindfulness.
• The specific needs of vulnerable and disadvantaged children and young people in relation to supporting their safe, responsible and informed use of mobile devices.
• What parents currently know about cyber safety, how they learned it and how they might be skilled to support their children’s safe, responsible and informed use of mobile devices and, conversely, how children might be supported to upskill their parents.
• The efficacy of current cyber safety educational interventions being deployed in NSW schools for both students and parents, including products promoted by external cyber safety education providers as well as those from the NSW Department of Education and other schooling authorities.
• The needs of both pre-service and existing teachers vis-à-vis the management and use of mobile devices in the classroom to inform the development of any necessary training resources or programs.
• How existing policies compare with best-practice internationally, and how effectively they are being implemented by NSW schools.
• The risks and benefits of the use of smartwatches in schools and schools’ current policies.
• How families and schools are using various technical solutions in tandem with policies to protect students from risks of harm stemming from mobile device use while at school.

All such research should consider any differences between metropolitan, regional, rural and remote locations; single-sex and co-educational environments; and Catholic, independent and government schools. The review team recommends that, where possible, such research should draw on both quantitative and qualitative methods; deploy an interdisciplinary approach; and engage school management, teachers, parents, students and other stakeholders in the generation of evidence and findings.

Recommendation – Better utilise agencies with requisite expertise

The review team recommends that the Office of the eSafety Commissioner be consulted on any policy initiative or reform that pertains to the safe, responsible and informed use of mobile digital devices in NSW schools.

As a government advisory agency and regulator, it possesses the required expertise to guide cyber safety initiatives in NSW schools.

Principles guiding all of the review team’s recommendations

The relationship between the risks of harm and benefits associated with children’s and young people’s digital media use is complex. The international evidence base demonstrates that not all children and young people are equally at risk of harm in relation to their use of digital media. Although all children and young people can at times be vulnerable to online risk, research consistently shows that those who are most vulnerable offline are those who are more vulnerable online, and our efforts need to focus more closely on those students[21]. Research shows that navigating some degree of risk of harm can enable children and young people to develop the skills to foster their resilience[22]. We also know that encouraging children and young people to develop their digital skills and literacies and to explore the creative and technical dimensions of digital media can help to mitigate the risks of harm they face online, because it prepares children to better deal with them. But the majority of children and young people do not regularly engage in these more advanced digital practices.[23]

As the global research, policy and practice environment grapples with the complex question of how to support children and young people to maximise the positive potential of their digital media use, while minimising the risks of harm, rights-based approaches have surfaced as a productive framing to guide decision-making and the design of effective policy, education and interventions. The Convention for the Rights of the Child – the most widely ratified human rights convention in history – stipulates that all children have three kinds of rights: rights to provision, protection and participation[24]. The review team notes that, by attending to all three of these categories, we can begin to balance most effectively children’s protection from harm online alongside their provision needs – for example, their access to technology and to online content in a language they can speak – and their participation in the digital age.

The review team recommends that principles of equity must drive our approaches to legislation, policy and programmatic responses to children’s and young people’s use of mobile digital devices. Given they are at a higher risk of potential harm, it is urgent that the government and schools prioritise the needs of vulnerable and disadvantaged children. Further, the review team notes that, because children and young people don’t always distinguish between the ‘online’ and the ‘offline’ in the same ways that many adults do[25], our approaches must seek to leverage the relationship between online and offline spaces in promoting children’s and young people’s safe, responsible and informed use of mobile digital devices.

Other principles guiding the review team’s work include:

• The shared responsibility of students, parents, teachers, schools and the government to work together to ensure students’ safe, responsible and informed use of mobile digital devices and media.
• The need to provide universal access matched by tailorable solutions and strategies.
• The feasibility and viability of options.
• The need to develop dynamic, flexible and responsive strategies in the context of a rapidly changing technological environment which will soon feature, for example, artificial intelligence and virtual reality.
• A holistic approach to child and youth wellbeing.

Findings – mobile digital device use and attitudes towards it

Smartphones and other digital devices are ubiquitous and their use by young people is a fact of everyday life. The review team notes that the Australian Child Health Poll has found that almost all Australian teenagers, two-thirds of primary school-aged children and one-third of pre-schoolers now have access to a tablet or smartphone[26].

The need to educate students on the responsible use of technology needs to be enacted at a very early stage.

NSW Teachers Federation

The mobile environment is recognised as an essential and immersive aspect of our current day-to-day lives, and one in which students are often both knowledgeable and comfortable. The research conducted as part of this review found that parents recognise smartphones as essential features of day-to-day life, including for students. They see their child having a smartphone as an inevitability. They also realise that smartphones are continuing to become more useful and more prevalent in society.

Findings – risks and harms and the extent to which these are exacerbated by mobile device use

The review team notes growth in not just the quantum of students bringing smartphones to school, but also that they are doing so at an earlier age than ever before, and that their use and misuse in classrooms and playgrounds have opened up new challenges for parents, teachers and schools in managing behaviours; managing distraction in class; reducing cyberbullying; and fulfilling adults’ duty of care responsibilities to children and young people in the school environment.

Firstly, the negative experiences that young people may encounter online are not limited to occurring while they are in the classroom. Our research tells us that cyberbullying is an extension of young people’s increasing digital engagement and what is occurring in their everyday lives, especially the playground at school. In fact, much of the cyberbullying we manage is peer to peer and the nexus of the conflict often sits within the school community.

A solution focused only on the classroom setting therefore does not take account of the complex behavioural and social issues that are playing out online and, potentially, deals with only a fraction of the issue.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse affirmed the important role the Office has in educating parents, communities and students and helping schools to manage online risks in their contexts. In response to the Royal Commission recommendations, we are working closely with the Department of Education to develop an cyber safety plan, which will include a suite of resources and tools to support schools in cyber safety efforts.

Office of the eSafety Commissioner

The review team notes in particular: ‘…The use of smartphones in classrooms can be problematic, distracting and anxiety inducing. When not being used specifically for learning they can interrupt lessons. They can detract from social interaction with peers and engagement with the world when used inappropriately. The misuse of smartphones can have implications for cybersafety and cyberbullying/image-based abuse’.

National Centre Against Bullying

The review team noted that only 40.97% of students (primary and high school) who responded to the survey developed for the review considered there to be risks associated with using mobile devices at school. The review team noted that the older cohort of students in years 11 and 12 seems to have a greater understanding of the risks than their years 7 to 10 counterparts.

Below we outline the key risks of harm associated with the use of smartphones in schools that were identified by the review team.

Distraction

The consensus across all audiences – educators, parents and students – was that mobile devices are often a distraction in the classroom. For teachers, they were perceived to be a source of frustration, with considerable teaching time lost to enforcing (or attempting to enforce) mobile device rules.

The last decade has been one of disorienting technological change, and the effects are being felt in schools across the globe. On some estimates, half of students are now online ‘almost constantly’. Initial research suggests that the cognitive costs may be alarmingly high. Ward et al.’s 2017 study links the mere presence of a smartphone on the desk to declines of c.10% and c.5% in working memory and fluid intelligence respectively. At the same time, mobile devices mean that social connections, entertainment and information have never been so easily accessible. In BIT’s own research, young people have emphasised the need for a nuanced understanding of the issue. There are both major positives and negatives to young people’s use of technology in general, and mobile digital devices in particular.

The Behavioural Insights Team (UK)

Some illustrative quotes provided in survey responses and confidential submissions include:

If you’re on your phone in class you’re not really listening.

Student (years 9-10)

It interferes with your education … like in Business, I don’t even know what I learnt this year because I was on my phone … I just get so distracted.

Student (years 11-12)

I don’t know how they study ... they are actually sitting there with their books and the phone going constantly, and I don’t know how they do it … I couldn’t study like that.

Parent

kids will become more antisocial. they wont focus on their schoolwork. the teachers cant set boundaries for anything the kids are doing or watching on their phones.

Student (years K-6)

I think that if phones are to used at school, students like me, might be more focused on using their phones than learning. As well as that there is a chance that their phone can get broken, stolen or damaged.

Student (years K-6)

There’s a time to use them, there’s a time not to use them. You’re there to learn.

Parent

It’s not unusual to discipline 5-6 kids in a given class.

Teacher

From a teacher’s point of view, I understand why they’d want to get rid of phones completely.

Student (years 9-10)

Smartphones are now the greatest endemic problem within a school context in terms of their negative impact upon learning, bullying, teaching, administrative time, educational outcomes/results and social interactions.

Teacher

The use of the phones in the classroom is a constant source of argument. You shouldn’t have to start your lesson arguing with the kids to put their phones away.

Principal

Australian classrooms should be environments in which children and young people can learn safely and without unnecessary distraction. Students should not be engaging on social media or using digital devices for personal purposes during classroom hours.

Office of the eSafety Commissioner

There is little doubt that time on phone has an impact on learning opportunity. Concentration is necessary to work through complex and challenging problems, and phones can distract from the task at hand.

Australian Council on Children and the Media

For some students and teachers there was feeling that the negative impact of mobile devices on the classroom experience was out of control, with teachers accepting they had lost the ‘battle’ in managing students’ use of devices during class time. Some illustrative quotes from survey responses and confidential submissions include:

Some teachers just teach and they keep going … even if everyone’s on their phone.

Student (years 9-10)

I’ve had groups of girls just all of a sudden get up and walk out because they’ve got a text from a friend saying they’re having a meltdown in another class. They don’t even have the courtesy to explain the situation. It’s literally that brazen.

Teacher

Sometimes, there is a class that everyone is on their phone. When the whole class is doing it, they (the teacher) just give up.

Student (years 9-10)

When I was in my class, my classmates were using mobile phones all over the lesson and my teacher was yelling her voice but still they didn’t listen.

Student (year unknown)

Some teachers also highlighted that significant time was wasted managing mobile devices in the classroom, which diminished the time spent delivering the syllabus. A number of organisations echoed this sentiment, and focused on the additional burden on teachers of having to enforce smartphone policies in addition to teaching. This highlights the need for teacher training and support in managing and maximising the benefits of mobile devices in class.

Class time would increase significantly!

Teacher

The sheer amount of time taken up dealing with non-school related phone use is a severe problem.

Teacher

It is unclear how any prohibitions could be reliably enforced for personal mobile phones, and would place an undue burden on teachers who already sacrifice substantial education time to policing behaviour.

Kate Mannell, Media and Communications Program, University of Melbourne; Robbie Fordyce, Media, Film, and Journalism, Monash University

As avoiding MDD* use requires self-control, students’ urge to check their MDD in class requires a high level of policing from teachers. In schools where students are permitted to have devices on their person disruptions to classes are almost impossible to avoid.

*Mobile digital device

Dr Danielle Einstein, Insights Project, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University

Most teachers are acutely aware of the disruption one [unauthorised] mobile phone can cause to a working classroom...The ping of a single text message can cause everyone who was previously focused on the lesson to stop what they are doing, even involuntarily, for a moment and think about their own device…It will take a little while for the class teacher to get the pupils to focus again on their work…This interruption to learning might only last for a few minutes but all of these minutes add up.

National Centre Against Bullying

Smartphones in class may detract from students’ educational progression. Some respondents claimed that smartphones act as a major distraction. It is apparent that some students use their smartphones in class, even if their school’s policy or teacher does not allow it. Some students also use them to distract others (including students in other classes). Rules are often applied inconsistently, and students admit to taking advantage of more lenient teachers. Smartphones at school generally can be a distraction for students whose parents are constantly in contact with them or vice versa. Teacher’s perceptions were that some parents expect their children to be contactable at all times. Some educators and experts thought that this can take away from their child’s ability to build independence and resilience.

Students in years 8-10 were asked to rate how regularly they used social media, as well as the regularity with which their parents contacted them. In our sample of 1,975 students, at commencement, on average, students reported using social media 5-10 times a day. The initial post data set suggests that MDD* use and anxiety are closely linked. Specifically, social media use is positively correlated with social anxiety such that the more regularly social media is used the more likely the students are to have higher levels of social anxiety. Additionally, the more parents message (or expect teens to message) to check that they arrive wherever they are going, the more separation anxiety the teens feel.

*Mobile digital device

Dr Danielle Einstein, Insights Project, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University

The review team though not considering educational outcomes, noted the recent study by the London School of Economics which revealed that, where mobile use in school was prohibited, test scores of 16-year-olds increased by over five per cent; which the researchers estimated corresponded to an extra working week to the school year. The researchers noted that there are both scholastic and monetary repercussions; in comparison with prolonging teaching time, the economic resources required to implement a phone ban would be considerably less[29].

The review team also notes the recent research by Finnish researcher Dr Sahlberg who suggests that smartphone-related distraction is a key explanation for Australia’s drop in the International Student Assessment (PISA) rankings[30], although the team also recognizes considerable variation between States and remains circumspect about simple causal explanations. Dr Sahlberg maintains that smartphones are doing most damage at the primary level[31]. ‘Smartphones don't belong in primary schools or young children under 12. For the sake of fairness and equity, [banning them in early years] would be the best thing to do’[32].

The review team support equity and accessibility and accept the evidence that the presence of mobile phones may be a distraction and in some cases can potentially reduce the quality of education on offer.

Mobile devices as aids to wellbeing

Literature on the specific benefits of smartphones is scant. Research internationally shows that, under the right circumstances, digital media can powerfully support children’s and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. Digital media – and specifically, social media – can positively impact the key drivers of wellbeing, including: peer, family and intergenerational relationships; developing a sense of identity; enhancing their sense of community and belonging; creating opportunities for self-expression, self-efficacy, civic and/or political participation; health monitoring and literacy; formal and informal learning, and so on[57]. Further, because of their ubiquity, relative anonymity and portability, mobile devices can assist with monitoring health and/or mental health conditions; promote connection to communities of support; and encourage help-seeking practices among groups who do not usually reach out for support.

While there is still not a comprehensive evidence base on the positive relationship between mobile devices and wellbeing, it is the review team’s assessment that they can support students’ wellbeing. For example, the review heard that many students used their mobile device to listen to music, either to aid their concentration during class, or to relax during recess and lunch. In general, there is a perception that using a mobile device to listen to music can be beneficial, both in and out of class. Many students also identify the value of meditation and mindfulness apps such as Smiling Mind, particularly at times of peak stress, such as exams.

Many students in NSW public schools rely on the use of a mobile phone or mobile device for a range of non-educational, daily functions including communication, health care and other reasons related to disability. Below are some examples where students with disability rely on the use of a mobile device at school for non-educational purposes:

Students who are blind or have a vision impairment

• Students may need to magnify information to read it, so use their device or an inbuilt magnifier app for magnification; for example, to read their school timetable or the canteen menu or a sign.
• Students with low or no vision may require the use of a screen reader. Screen readers can be built in to a device or can be apps or software and provide access to digital information, not just educational content.
• Some students use apps or software to help them navigate the school and playground.
• Some students rely on the use of OCR (Optical Character Recognition) apps that assist in daily independence. These apps allow the student to take a photo of something and have the text read aloud, such as reading currency notes or labels on food etc.

Students who are deaf or hard of hearing

• Students may require the use of their mobile phone to control the volume and other settings in their hearing device.
• Some students require the live streaming of audio directly to hearing devices through a phone or device.
• Some students use mobile devices as portable audio recorders for taking notes, such as reminders for upcoming activities and tasks they need to follow up.

Students on the autism spectrum

• Some students on the autism spectrum have difficulty with communication and may require the use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) software or apps. This technology allows a student to replace or supplement their speech by selecting icons or images that produce speech for them. For example, a student could participate in discussions with their peers in the playground by selecting words or phrases to be spoken through their device.
• Some students have difficulty with sensory regulation and can become anxious. Students can use specific apps that help them monitor and regulate these emotions.
• Some students use apps and software that help them with their social skills. The apps may include video modelling of appropriate social skills in specific settings, such as the playground.

Parents of students recognise that mobile devices constitute a valuable playground coping mechanism for students with autism or other social and behavioural challenges. Other children and young people with a disability rely on tablets and other mobile devices to be able to communicate with others and to learn. Other benefits highlighted in the evidence received include for students with dyslexia, ADHD, and hearing and vision impairments.

For many students with a disability, mobile devices can provide a means of social support and can enhance their ability to connect with others.

Catholic Schools NSW

Online support groups for my mental illness and meditation apps.

Student (years 11-12)

As a person who has a friend with ADHD, I see him in class listening to music and it helps him to focus on his work and not be distracted as much.

Student (years 7-10)

Benefits for electronic devices in school is for a student to learn/study while out in the playground or to relieve stress by listening to music. (If you have some mental illness eg. ADHD)

Student (years K-6)

Promoting a Universal Design approach to safe and respectable use of technology in schools will ensure the needs of all students are catered for[58].

Some children and young people identified brain development as a benefit of online gaming, highlighting, for example, the strategic planning and problem solving skills required to compete successfully. Parents, on the whole, did not share in the perception of these benefits.

A surprising number of students considered mobile devices an aid to their wellbeing because they alleviate boredom in class. While the review team does not condone such uses, what this perhaps highlights is that there may be a mismatch between student and teacher expectations about what constitutes a positive and engaging learning environment. Given the centrality of digital media to contemporary young people’s everyday experiences, there is much scope to bridge this divide by better integrating mobile devices into student learning.

Connection to peer networks and communities of interest

Young people identified that they use the geolocation functionality of their mobile devices to locate peers in break time, and to map and plan a range of other interactions.

Time management and balancing study with other life commitments

Secondary students in particular noted the organisational and time management benefits of having access to their mobile phones at school. Students report that mobile phones can assist in fulfilling their school-related commitments and managing their stress. Evidence generated by Mission Australia shows that time stress is a leading cause of concern for young people nationally[59]. The mobile phone is seen as a useful device for managing such stressors.

I am able to access the internet to study using google docs (which I find more effective than books, allowing me access to the work I do at home as well) and study more effectively. By listening to music I am able to drown out any distracting background noise. As I have a part-time job, I occasionally get texts asking to work, or need to call my parents to organise my time immediately after school (e.g. picking my little sister up). Texting is useful so I can properly organise my time and not feel stressed about heading home when something needs to be done.

Student (years 11-12)

Personal safety

Many parents consider smartphones to be a safety device and an integral part of their parental duty of care. Students also shared this belief. Safety travelling to and from school is a commonly cited reason for having access to a device, particularly for students who travel significant distances and for students in primary school. Some parents consider having access to technology that enables real-time mobile tracking of their child’s whereabouts as essential to their parental responsibilities.

You can call your parents after school telling them who you will be walking home with and if there is an emergency.

Student (years K-6)

Many kids walk to and from school, and if they have a mobile device, they can text their parents to let them know they are at school/home safely. Also, if there is a sudden change of plans, for example, you have to pick your little sister up from the bus stop, your parent can just text you and let you know instead of them having to call the school and everyone has to run around.

Student (year 7-10)

However, parents’ faith in the mobile phone as a device that supports safety is often somewhat ambivalent. They recognise that, in some instances, mobile phones support safety, and sometimes they may compromise their children’s safety. Catholic Schools NSW submission noted, for example, that while parents of secondary students value devices as important for safety, communication and organisation, parents are simultaneously concerned about the social and mental health issues associated with excessive or inappropriate use of devices.

Digital literacy

Current trends in the development and uptake of new technologies suggests that mobile devices are already a key feature of many children’s and young people’s everyday lives and will become even more essential to their future lives. Research shows that, while greater access to technology potentially exposes children to a greater risk of harm, it also exposes them to greater opportunities, including that of increasing their digital literacy. Exposure to a range of digital devices, including mobile digital devices, at school enables children to develop the necessary skills and habits, in a supported environment, to successfully navigate complex digitally-mediated environments both now and into the future.

Notably, many students survey respondents noted the importance of technology, including mobile digital devices, for their future lives and careers.

Technology advancements, for example we use laptops and computers a lot in most of my classes to make doing work a lot easier for the teachers and the students. When doing work, students share their work through google docs so teachers can keep track of where their students are up to whenever, wherever. Another reason would be the future, our future consists of technology and it’s important we learn the skills and tools needed for when we are the generation in charge, because when it comes down to it all, we will be in government one day and we will be making the choices and listening to the student voice because they are who matter.

Student (years 11-12)

Students can learn skills that they will need in the future – technology constantly expands and improves and we need to learn so it will be useful for future jobs and careers.

Student (years 7-10)

The benefits associated with the utilisation of mobile digital devices include: offering convenient access to an extensive range of learning resources and information which aren't available through non-digital methods; and preparing students for real-world scenarios and the future workforce in which most individuals will be required to be able to use digital devices.

Student (years 7-10)

Mobile devices as failsafe

Despite significant investment in school broadband infrastructure and hardware (e.g. the Australian federal government’s Digital Education Revolution initiative, 2007-2013), technology and internet access in Australian schools remains variable. Many schools, particularly those in rural, remote, or lower socio-economic areas, still do not have fast and reliable connectivity and many struggle to maintain and upgrade hardware.

Students in particular noted that mobile devices provided a continuous point of connectivity in environments where school-provided technology is inadequate or out-of-date, or where school wifi access is slow or unreliable. Given that, in such circumstances the financial burden of connectivity lies with families, such reliance on mobile digital media potentially disadvantages some students. As such, consideration should be given to a review into the quality of school-based internet services to ensure that all students have access to an acceptable standard of connectivity that is fast, reliable and filtered. In the meantime, the review team urges schools to develop policies that take the speed and reliability of existing data infrastructure into account, and enable students to access the internet via personal data plans, where appropriate.

School laptops are generally slow, there aren't always enough for every student and sometimes crash while phones are faster and students already bring them to class.

Student (years 7-10)

The school wifi can be very slow at times and won't work on all devices. I can go to the school IT worker, but it takes out my valuable learning time, switching my data on and using my phone to research is both effective and less time consuming.

Student (years 7-10)

School wifi is terrible, so using your phone can instantly bring up the thing you need to research or look at, in or out of class.

Student (years 11-12)

Access to information

Students identified that they use mobile digital devices to engage with a range of platforms, apps and software that they can use to access, manage and analyse information, including: Google classrooms, translation software, dictionaries, textbooks, document sharing and collaboration platforms, news outlets, presentation applications, among others. Many students noted that their mobile digital devices provide faster and more reliable access to information than is available via other devices. They also noted that mobile digital devices enable them ready communication with teachers. These factors need to be taken into account when schools are developing an appropriate policy.

Japanese dictionary use for Japanese classes.

Student (years 7-10)

When we use it for maths (textbook), Modern History (to access OneNote), also I use it to complete research activities/ assignments in class as well as use it to do work on Word, Powerpoint, etc.

Student (years 11-12)

We are able to contact parents easily and quickly. We can access news websites which are mostly blocked on our laptop.

Student (years 7-10)

I check the news consistently throughout the school day.

Student (years 7-10)

For a lot of our assignments we need to use google drive, google docs, or movie making software for filming and editing short videos. Phones in this case are much faster and more convenient for this, also checking google classroom and timetables to see what updates my teachers have left for me in the apps.

Student (years 7-10)

Teachers can reach out to their students faster by using things like google classroom.

Student (years K-6)

Communication benefits

Parents value smartphones for allowing communication between themselves and their child. Use of mobile devices to coordinate travel to and from school, logistical arrangements with parents and carers, and communications with employers were all vital ways in which students used their devices, and reasons that they and their parents valued mobile devices.

Parents particularly valued mobile devices for providing a means for their child to communicate with them, specifically if they are worried or in danger. With the possession of a mobile device, parents felt able to allow their children greater physical independence travelling to and from school.

Increased safety and availability of students. Parents can contact them more easily, messages do not get lost within communication systems.

Student (years 11-12)

Students can contact their family in the event of an emergency. It reduces the work of the office as they will not need to receive calls from parents and pass on messages. Plans can be made with family for after-school activities and students can contact their parents while public transport for safety reasons.

Student (years 7-10)

It is safer for children who travel home alone as they can keep in touch with parents and guardians.

Student (years K-6)

Parents considered mobile devices particularly useful for emergencies and illness. Many educators, however, noted that the school office and administration staff could facilitate such communication without the need for a mobile device. Use of personal devices to contact directly a student by parent or vice versa can lead to a range of issues where a school is unaware of a situation or illness, or where a child leaves school without appropriate permission/process and is therefore unaccounted for. This highlights the importance of schools developing and clearly communicating a process for parents to contact their children during school hours.

In the classroom students do not always follow directions to stay on task as they may be on Snapchat Facebook or playing games. They expect to listen to music despite mobile phone policy. Getting students to give up their phones due to misuse is impossible most times for the classroom teacher. Meetings and bullying are easily arranged via text or other methods. Students and parental contact can be negatively used as students get message from parent to leave school without going through admin office and can leave school without going through the proper channels.

Educator (teacher or principal)

Students believe they are entitled to use their phone for any reason at any time, this includes the idea that music is appropriate during any type of lesson where students are working independently. They also spend time during breaks on the phone rather than socialising. This means they do not have meaningful interactions with their peers or do any physical activity because they are always on their device. It can also be used to message other students inappropriately during school hours which can then be challenged by parents around issues such as cyber harassment happening while at school/in class. Finally students often contact their parents directly when they are sick rather than report to the office for first aid and similarly try to avoid or pre-empt disciplinary action by contacting parents who sometimes turn up at school agitated or turn up without anyone being aware of an issue.

Educator (teacher or principal)

The only advantage to students having their own mobile device is in case of an emergency or situation where they need to contact their parents, but this could then reasonably be achieved through the school office.

Parent

Findings – best-practice approaches and practices for schools and parents to help children and young people mitigate risks and use devices in safe, informed and responsible ways.

School policies or approaches that have been developed in consultation with school staff, students and parents appear to be the most robust.

If subsequent research finds evidence that ‘opt-in’ versions of mobile device restrictions may be more effective than blunt bans in secondary, then the government may wish to consider the evidence of ‘opt-in’ versions of mobile device restrictions in a sample of NSW schools.

Implementing restrictions on mobile devices within schools also carries an inherent risk of signalling to teachers, as well as parents and carers, that the risks of online harms have been effectively neutralised by such a policy, potentially enabling a culture of complacency, or worse, pushing the issue underground.

Office of the eSafety Commissioner

Such approaches do not take away students’ agency and teach an important transferable lesson about self-control (that it is much more effective to commit yourself in advance rather than rely on willpower in the moment). While there is mixed evidence to support the contention, there is growing concern about young people’s ability to engage with others and entertain themselves offline as well as online. Our young people need, rather than an imposed ban, to be taught self-regulation in their use of smartphones.

The Behavioural Insights Team (UK)

A variety of mechanisms could be employed to evaluate the effectiveness of mobile device policies including the use of citizens’ juries and rapid and robust evaluation through randomised control trials.

Teachers require better support to understand and productively engage with students’ ICT use. The review team recommends that consideration be given to targeted investment in initiatives that improve teacher learning and professional confidence, perhaps including NESA-registered courses.

School leaders and teachers need to be supported with resources and have funded professional learning opportunities to ensure that they meet their duty of care responsibilities for all students and to engage in education about the productive and appropriate use of mobile devices.

Associate Professor Matthew Kearney, Associate Professor Wan Ng, Professor Sandy Schuck and Professor Peter Aubusson, University of Technology Sydney (UTS) STEM Education Futures Research Centre

Experience of schools such as Camberwell Girls Grammar shows that policies which restrict use are both manageable and enforceable. The review team recommends that restrictions on use be in place in both primary and secondary school.

Evidence received by the review team demonstrates that there is good practice already occurring in many schools, however there is scope for continuous improvement and for sharing effective practice across schools.

The review team believe it is important that all schools entrench digital literacy and cybersafety as part of their learning curriculum in a systematic way from kindergarten to the end of year 12.

Students tended to believe that they were knowledgeable about how to make safe use of their mobile device. In contrast, parents were marginally less confident about their own knowledge. Students considered information about safe mobile device use as ‘common knowledge’ and were familiar with the messages about safe use. Parents were more likely to be concerned about the risks of the online environment, and their children’s exposure to inappropriate material, or individuals who were intent on grooming.

Schools, peers and parents all provided students with their knowledge around safe use. School was the primary source, with regular information and lessons on this topic recalled as taking place from year 5 onwards. Students also recalled curriculum content from PDHPE lessons, in-school sessions with Police Liaison Officers and dedicated sessions provided by other third parties. Learning from peers tended to be a case of learning by others’ mistakes. In contrast, many students were provided with regular information and guidance from their parents on safe mobile device use.

There was also discussion about the content of what is taught regarding safe behaviour, and criticism that the current range of topics covered is minimal and doesn’t prepare students sufficiently for the breadth of ways in which the internet and online environment impact their world. There was debate that the school curriculum needs to be extended to better cover these aspects of students’ safety.

Any cybersafety education must be holistic, comprehensive and cover all areas of both concern and benefit including the importance of digital reputation and how it may impact a student in the future. One dimensional or programs focussing on only one area should be avoided. So too, cyber safety education should be mindful of balancing students’ protection with the need to nurture their digital skills and opportunities online.

Making questions of online behaviour, the meaning and truthfulness of information, forms of online interaction, sociality and learning an integrated part of pedagogy and curriculum must be the only responsible way for schools to take up the future for young people in a digital society.

Teacher

Efforts should be made to avoid a clash between the outcomes of NESA’s Curriculum Review and any future action the Department takes in regards to mobile digital devices in schools.

Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations of New South Wales

Students were quick to see themselves as having primary responsibility for the safe use of their mobile devices, although they acknowledged that both parents and school have a role to play.

Students’ beliefs regarding their level of knowledge about cybersafety may need to be challenged. Many think staying safe is ‘common knowledge’. Despite this, incidents of unsafe usage appear very common among students they know.

Students widely perceived safe mobile device use as being simply ‘common sense’. That said, there was an appreciation that it is a constantly evolving area and given this, students’ knowledge of safety needs to also be regularly updated.

(Do you know enough?) Yes because you sort of know the basics. But no, because technology is always being updated and changing. So, you can never not know more.

Student (years 9-10)

The review team considers that while the best and most effective policies and approaches of a school are developed in consultation with students, staff and parents, sometimes students don’t have the developmental perspective that adults have.

Recognise that individual schools may be capable of innovative solutions that serve their own communities needs. One school in Ireland, Blenneville National School, this year came to an agreement with parents that sixth class pupils would not access social media outside school hours due to incidents of cyberbullying. This consultative approach reportedly has widespread support in the community.

Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations of New South Wales

There may be an opportunity to educate parents as well. Parents often lack confidence about their own cybersafety knowledge. This is mainly due to their lack of familiarity with the apps their children use and how they use them. Apart from school and peers, parents are the most common source of cybersafety education.

One core challenge is a simple lack of knowledge among parents of what the perceived risks are and/or how to best address them. For instance, in November 2017, P&C Federation representatives attended a Facebook Parent & Educator Roundtable where Facebook representatives stated that among the most frequent problems they encountered was parents being simply unaware of the resources available to help parents to protect and guide their children in their social media use.

Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations of New South Wales

The review team notes the NSW Department of Education is currently reviewing its Digital Citizenship resources and it is recommended that the findings of this review inform the refinement or development of any resources.

A first step might be in updating the Department's existing Digital Citizenship portal to encompass new and emerging technologies. However, prior to that occurring, there needs to be an evaluation of the uptake and effectiveness of the existing resources.

The Department should be asked to report on the longer term success or otherwise of their digital citizenship initiative post their trial, including the take up by schools, participation rates and evidence of changed or affected behaviours.

NSW Teachers Federation

We suggest the Department create comprehensive information and resources on cybersafety for parents and students, such as resources from the Office of the eSafety Commissioner, and require schools to include this information on their websites.

Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations of New South Wales

The review team also recognise that families and specifically adult carers have a key role in educating young people in the responsible use of and regulation of technology and particularly the use of mobile devices. The recommendations of this report should reflect the central role of families and acknowledge that the review team feels very strongly that its recommendations should not encourage the outsourcing of this responsibility to school but instead should incentivize intrafamilial conversations around responsible use of mobile devices in particular and cybersafety, generally. The provision of cybersafety education to parents should also be considered as very important. This education should include how to support a child at home and also ensure a good understanding of the individual school’s policies and procedures around digital device use.

The review team understand that in order to address the issue of unauthorised use of mobile phones in schools, we need to see the issue through the lens of a whole of school approach to wellbeing, cyber safety, respect, and effective teaching and uninterrupted learning within a supportive school environment.

The review team also accepts that all schools should adopt a strengths-based approach with an emphasis on building social and emotional competencies (conflict resolution, anger management, problem solving, decision making and social/emotional learning) in order to improve school climate and reduce bullying and cyberbullying.

Many written submissions from organisations focused on a perceived need for schools and the department to focus not only on education around mobile device usage for students, but also for parents. Such education would include how to use devices appropriately, safely and in a socially acceptable way. These organisations, like parents themselves, saw the parent as a key role player in their child’s digital behaviour, and thus just as requiring of relevant knowledge as the child themselves. The parent would need to reinforce what the child is learning about digital safety at school in the home, and to have the tools available to do so effectively.

Some illustrative quotes received by the review are:

Parents have reported to CCSP [Council of Catholic School Parents] that more guidance needs to be provided by primary schools to parents regarding rules around the appropriate use of smartphones and education about the socially acceptable use of smartphones, before even purchasing a device for their child.

It is important that to maximise the reach and impact of the program, a whole community approach is adopted to ensure parents, teachers and students are engaged and well-equipped to be socially responsible users of digital devices, at home and at school.

Council of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT

Parents need to partner with the school in managing their children’s' use of technology, not just within the school environment but within society at large.

NSW Teachers Federation

Feedback from parents suggests that more guidance could be provided by schools regarding appropriate access to, and use of, smartphones and other digital devices.

Promote parent and family resources that address the benefits and risks associated with mobile digital device use at different ages and stages of children’s development and provide parents with strategies to support children and young peoples’ safe and responsible use of devices.

Catholic Schools NSW

Some organisations pointed out that appropriate resources are already available. For example, several mentioned the Office of the eSafety Commissioner’s website as a strong starting point for parents, and one that needed to have its profile raised. One suggestion included mandating schools to publish this information on their own websites. Other organisations noted that this type of information could be made available during an orientation program when a child starts at a new school.

The Office of the eSafety Commissioner, the national Student Wellbeing Hub and the NSW Anti-bullying Strategy website clearly have an important role in the promotion and dissemination of high quality, evidence-based, practical resources for school communities – teachers, parents and students – to work together.

Catholic Schools NSW

AMTA supports the responsible and safe use of mobile devices by everyone and recommends that parents, caregivers and teachers use the resources made available via the eSafety Commissioner’s Office to understand how children and teenagers can be guided to use technology safely and responsibly.

Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association Ltd

We suggest the Department create comprehensive information and resources on cybersafety for parents and students, such as resources from the Office of the eSafety Commissioner, and require schools to include this information on their websites.”

Parents are often unaware of these dangers and/or how to protect their children from them. The Department should provide on school websites a set of tips for parents to help their children navigate online platforms.

Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations of New South Wales

All cohorts recognise the importance of cybersafety education and generally recommended that such education be mandatory throughout all schools and from an early age right through to the end of the school journey.

[We recommend] that cybersafety education should be mandatory in all primary schools and integrated with social and emotional learning.

Alannah & Madeline Foundation

…We consider it important that schools embed digital literacy and cybersafety as part of their learning curriculum in a systematic way from Kindergarten to the end of Year 12. [We recommend] that cybersafety education directed at building skills and knowledge of users should be funded and made mandatory, commencing in primary school, integrated with social and emotional learning. This would teach the ‘goods and bads’ of technology, including smartphones and help children development judgement, self-regulation and safe use and control of their online practises.

National Centre Against Bullying

The need to educate students on the responsible use of technology needs to be enacted at a very early stage.

For many in the community, whilst such terms as cyberbullying, inappropriate websites, grooming and losing control of personal pictures have been heard, they are not necessarily well understood in a practical way. This is where Departmental resource development can assist.

NSW Teachers Federation

Organise seminars and workshops for students on responsible use of social media, covering areas such as what students can do to handle online bullying (e.g. blocking or reporting to social media platform for violations of its terms of use), and what the implications are of cyberbullying. Such seminars and workshops should take place on school grounds.

Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations of New South Wales

We can reduce negative behaviours by establishing clear policies and procedures within schools for dealing with instances of bullying and harassment. We can also do this by ensuring schools have frequent conversations with students about why cyberbullying, and bullying behaviours more generally, are not acceptable.

Kate Mannell, Media and Communications Program, University of Melbourne; Robbie Fordyce, Media, Film, and Journalism, Monash University

There were calls for education to go beyond simply the students. In order to be able to carry out this type of cybersafety training, some expressed that the teachers themselves would need to be more knowledgeable about the topic. This included having their knowledge constantly refreshed, given how frequently digital technology is being updated.

[We recommend] that NSW teachers are supported by ongoing professional education to enable them to embed technology into the curriculum and to ensure that all teachers are up-to date with new technologies, programs, apps, risks and opportunities.

Alannah & Madeline Foundation

In addition to cybersafety education, organisations called for education on using mobile devices in a positive manner more generally. There were many comments about the educational value of mobile devices, both in the classroom as well as when children take it upon themselves to research and learn as part of their own personal interests. Organisations saw encouraging this educational usage as paramount to the long term benefit of mobile devices remaining a mainstay of the classroom, and of life in general. A solution to the distracting nature of smartphones in the classroom would be to have children learn from a young age to control their usage, in addition to being responsible digital citizens. This was also expanded to learning to research effectively, and to determine the credibility of respective online sources.

In this technological era, it is important that the schools make provisions and policies that support the use of mobile devices in a way that encourages communication, positive school culture and promotes learning.

ySafe

The best protection for children’s cyber safety is an investment in their learning, education and skills as part of a learning pathway. This should be directly linked to increased mastery of skills and appreciation of risk for the child in their use of technology.

Alannah & Madeline Foundation

Banning mobile digital devices of course also impedes the Department’s important goal of teaching Internet and Communications Technology (ICT) skills and priming students to be effective and responsible digital citizens.

Dr Michael Cejnar, MBBS, FRACP CEO, FIC Technology Pty, Ltd

[Quoting Dr. Pasi Sahlberg] To help students avoid becoming distracted, schools should teach them self-control in the context of limiting smartphone use to a healthy level.[1]

National Centre Against Bullying

We know one of the most effective protections for children in responding to and effectively managing negative online behaviours is through education – specifically by teaching important social and emotional learning skills like respect, responsibility, digital resilience, critical reasoning ability, empathy and consent. It is much more difficult to teach these skills in a vacuum, where the mobile device is absent or demonised through prohibition...

We need to systematically build the capacity of young people to use digital technologies with respect, responsibility, resilience and critical reasoning so that they can respond to negative online experiences. An educative approach, as opposed to a prohibitive approach or ban, will empower young people to successfully navigate online challenges.

Consideration and examination needs to be made with regard to the holistic picture of a child’s education, in order to ensure any proposed restrictions do not come at the opportunity cost of a teacher or school’s ability or willingness to deliver comprehensive and consistent cyber safety education.

Office of the eSafety Commissioner

Educating young people to be socially responsible users of digital technology is one of the most effective and enduring strategies that can be adopted.

[Mobile devices] can also be used as a means of enhancing media literacy to underpin the development of the skills required to be critical consumers and ethical producers of online information. Pedagogically it is much more valuable to provide opportunities for student to learn these vital skills in a collective setting (such as the classroom) rather than in isolation, if at all. This is all the more important when considering how the world is changing and the increasing impact that technology has on people’s lives.

Catholic Schools NSW

Research suggests that digital citizenship education will mitigate proposed issues more effectively than a technology ban.

Training in respectful online conduct could involve teaching students how to manage disagreements in online spaces, how to understand the perspectives of other people they engage with online, and how to engage in positive bystander actions. Training in civic engagement could involve teaching students how to participate in online activities that produce social benefits such as political participation or sharing skills and interests with a community.

Education in digital citizenship would contribute to the development of students’ self-reflection of their own media use and enable them to employ these skills as adults.

Kate Mannell, Media and Communications Program, University of Melbourne; Robbie Fordyce, Media, Film, and Journalism, Monash University

Schools have a role to play in ensuring the productive and harm-free use of devices to serve educative purposes, and in the long term, economic, social, scientific and technological advancement.

Associate Professor Matthew Kearney, Associate Professor Wan Ng, Professor Sandy Schuck and Professor Peter Aubusson, University of Technology Sydney (UTS) STEM Education Futures Research Centre

If part of our role as educators is to prepare our students for the future, then we must equip them to properly use these tools. If we ignore these devices then, in my opinion, we, as educators, are negligent.

Teacher

Conclusion

Concerns about the presence of smartphones in classrooms prompted the NSW Government to launch a review into the risks and benefits of phones in the state’s schools. The review has, as requested, examined “whether a restriction or other limits should be placed on smartphone use for children in primary schools or children in certain age brackets”.

NSW Education Minister Rob Stokes asked the review to focus on best practice surrounding cyberbullying, sexting and internet safety and asked us to conduct a literature review. The review, found a paucity of research around the risk and benefits of student use of smartphones in class, recess and lunchtime. It found that students, parents, educators, academics and cyber safety experts were divided on whether phones should be restricted in NSW secondary classrooms, with some arguing smartphones are addictive, distracting and raise privacy concerns, and others saying they were essential learning tools, vital to students’ social lives, and that students need to learn the skills to engage positively and manage their mobile digital device use. The review found that different schools had adopted different policies on their use during school hours.

There was a significant degree of unanimity around the undesirability of the use of smartphones in primary school, with most primary principals asking parents of K-6 students to either not allow students to bring such phones to school, hand them in on arrival and pick them up on departing school or actively asking parents to give them basic mobile phones without internet access. A major driver of the review team’s recommendations was the research released by the Office of the eSafety Commissioner in May this year of 3,000 young people which found that 24% of 8 to 12 year olds have received unwanted contact from strangers online and 15% had been subjected to cyberbullying. But it was not just the predatory behaviour online and cyberbullying that prompted the review team to recommend a restriction on smartphones in primary schools, it was also the inappropriate sharing of explicit images between students and the overwhelming number of teachers who argued that mobile phones in schools were an unnecessary distraction.

Prior to the review commencing, Finnish education expert Dr Pasi Sahlberg believed smartphone-related distraction was one of the main reasons why Australia and similar countries had fallen in Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) rankings, although the review team notes that more research is needed to make such a connection. Sahlberg also stated that a complete prohibition at high school level would be difficult to enforce.

As far as secondary schools are concerned, the review team stopped short of recommending a restriction on smartphones but offered several approaches that schools could adopt based on their circumstances. These range from policies like John Edmondson High School in Horningsea Park who have instituted a complete prohibition on the use of smartphones. Their policy states: ‘Students may not use mobile phones or similar devices while on school grounds. If parents choose to allow their child to bring a mobile phone or similar device to school, school staff are not to see or hear the device at any time and students are not to use the device at any time while at school. This applies to all times students are at school and on school grounds including before and after school, during and between classes and at all break times such as recess and lunch’.

Other schools have policies that reflect that older students, specifically in Year 11 and 12 have greater capacity for self regulation and need to be prepared for a work environment where they must learn to balance their mobile phone use with requirements of a job. As such some schools permit senior students to use their smartphones at designated times and in designated places. Still other schools allow students to carry their phones with them and can use them during recess and lunchtime, while some schools actively promote the use of mobile phones as teaching tools in class.

The most surprising finding from the review was the lack of evidence on the risks and benefits of the various models utilised by secondary schools and, in the absence of peer-reviewed evidence to support one model over the other, the review team called for more research.

The crucial conclusion the review reached was for the need for education around the safe, smart and responsible use of technology. The review team found that the inconsistent levels of cybersafety education across NSW might be addressed by the introduction of a digital licence requirement for all students in Grade 3 prior to bringing a device to school or being allowed to use a internet connected device at school and that all schools be required to have a minimum standard of cybersafety education. The review team also note that there is significant scope to enhance students’ digital literacy across the curriculum and that strategies to enable this must be urgently sought.

The review team is indebted to the NSW Government for initiating the review.

Footnotes

1. Survey respondents were asked to self-identify as a student, an educator or a parent/carer. Responses were not verified by the review team.
2. More details about Dr Carr-Gregg can be found here: http://michaelcarrgregg.com/about/
3. More details about Susan McLean can be found here: http://www.cybersafetysolutions.com.au/about/
4. More details about Associate Professor Third can be found here: https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/ics/people/researchers/amanda_third
5. https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/aussie-kids-being-stalked-and-harrased-online-at-alarming-levels/news-story/ea1ecd5d9c2e78b0558f9b5b4d8ae0bb
6. ‘Mobile phones are not permitted to be used on campus by students from the time a student arrives at school until departing from school at the end of the normal school day. They may be used on campus after 3.00pm as permitted by supervising staff. This includes making and receiving calls, texting or using phones for purposes of accessing the internet or taking photographs or videos’. Shore School Mobile Phone Policy.
7. ‘Students may not use mobile phones or similar devices while on school grounds. If parents choose to allow their child to bring a mobile phone or similar device to school, school staff are not to see or hear the device at any time and students are not to use the device at any time while at school. This applies to all times students are at school and on school grounds including before and after school, during and between classes and at all break times such as recess and lunch. Please note ‘school grounds’ extends to school excursions, sports carnivals and other events off the school site where an approved school activity takes place’. John Edmondson High School Mobile Phone Policy.
8. At the beginning of 2018, McKinnon Secondary College instituted a phone ban for all students. The expectation was that students would deposit their phones in their lockers at the beginning of the school day and retrieve them at the end. The ban also extended to use of Chromebooks in the school yard during recess and lunchtime.
9. https://kamaroi.nsw.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/Mobile-Phones-and-Electronic-Devices-Policy-1.pdf
10. https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/distracting-and-addictive-school-rules-for-mobile-phones-20180922-p505dc.html
11. https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/distracting-and-addictive-school-rules-for-mobile-phones-20180922-p505dc.html
12. http://www.wssc.vic.edu.au/?p=28066
13. ‘Students may access their mobile phone at recess and lunchtime to briefly check for important messages. Students are not permitted to use their mobile phones for phone calls’. Newington Mobile Phone Policy.
14. http://wantirnacollege.vic.edu.au/images/pdf-files/Parent_Information_Handbook_2016.pdf
15. New schools, such as John Edmondson High School, have developed their mobile digital device policy prior to opening, without student and parent consultation, and have achieved the support of student and parent communities.
16. Jamie Doward (16 May 2015). "Schools that ban mobile phones see better academic results". The Guardian.
17. https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/france-school-mobile-phone-ban-takes-effect-20180906-p5023k.html
18. http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-08/03/c_137366699.htm
19. https://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/greek/en/article/2018/06/26/greece-bans-mobile-phones-schools
20. https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/wisconsin/articles/2018-09-15/wisconsin-school-districts-ban-cellphones-in-classroom
21. See, for example, Third, A., Livingstone, S. & Lansdown, G (2019) ‘Recognizing children’s rights in relation to digital technologies: Challenges of voice and evidence, principle and practice’, Handbook on Human Rights and the Digital, Chando; Third, A, (2016), Researching the benefits and opportunities for children online, London: UNICEF & Global Kids Online. Available at: www.globalkidsonline/opportunities
22. Third, A, (2016), Researching the benefits and opportunities for children online, London: UNICEF & Global Kids Online. Available at: www.globalkidsonline/opportunities
23. Livingstone, S., & Helsper, E. (2007). Gradations in digital inclusion: children, young people and the digital divide. New Media & Society, 9 (4), 671–696.
24. See for example, Livingstone, S, Lansdown, G. & Third, A. (2017) The case for a UNCRC General Comment on Children’s Rights and Digital Media: A report prepared for the Office of the Children’s Commissioner of England. London, LSE Consulting. Available at: https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Case-for-general-comment-on-digital-media.pdf.
25. https://thewest.com.au/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/the-faceless-bullies-ng-b88825439z
26. https://www.ourphn.org.au/young-children-owning-smartphones-new-normal-australian-child-health-poll-finds/RCH Health Poll, 2018,
27. Roy Morgan Single Source Australia, July 2015 – June 2016, sample n = 512 Australian Mobile Owners aged 14-1
28. Sources: US data for mobile devices and own/have a smartphone: Amanda Lenhart, Teens, Social Media & Technology Overview 2015, Pew Research Internet Project, 9 April 2015; US data for ‘use a computer to access the internet’: Amanda Lenhart, Teens and Technology—Understanding the Digital Landscape, Pew Research Internet Project, 25 February 2014; UK data: Ofcom, Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report 2015, November 2015; Australia data: Roy Morgan Single Source, June 2015.
29. http://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/download/dp1350.pdf p,17
30. Other reasons cited include participation in early childhood education, (A recent OECD report found that only 15 per cent of Australian three-year-olds are enrolled in a high-quality preschool program, compared to the OECD average of 70 per cent, which could be directly impacting PISA results) teacher training (particularly in the area of mathematics) and support. Students in the lowest achievement bands are falling further behind and there are fewer students in the top achievement band.
31. https://www.theeducatoronline.com/au/news/the-pros-and-cons-of-banning-phones-in-schools/251609
32. https://www.theeducatoronline.com/au/breaking-news/renowned-educator-calls-for-smartphone-ban/250479
33. Queensland Anti-Cyberbullying Taskforce (2018): ADJUST our SETTINGS: A community approach to address cyberbullying among children and young people in Queensland’
34. The Economic Cost of Bullying in Australian Schools, (2018), The Alannah & Madeline Foundation and PricewaterhouseCoopers
35. Katz, I., Keeley, M., Spears, B., Taddeo, C., Swirski, T., & Bates, S (2014). Research on youth exposure to, and management of, cyberbullying incidents in Australia: Synthesis report (SPRC Report 16/2014). Sydney: Social Policy Research Centre, UNSW Australia.
36. Cyberbullying rarely occurs in isolation and is often a continuation of face-to-face bullying. Katz, I., Keeley, M., Spears, B., Taddeo, C., Swirski, T., & Bates, S (2014). Research on youth exposure to, and management of, cyberbullying incidents in Australia: Synthesis report (SPRC Report 16/2014). Sydney: Social Policy Research Centre, UNSW Australia.
37. Livingston, S. (2015). Sexual rights and sexual risks among youth online: A review of existing knowledge regarding children and young people’s developing sexuality in relation to new media environments NASCO.
38. Rennie, E, Hogan, E & Holcombe-James, I 2016, Cyber safety in remote Aboriginal communities and towns: interim report, Swinburne Institute for Social Research, Melbourne.
39. Rennie, E., T. Yunkaporta & I. Holcombe-James (2018)
40. Valentina Rotondi, Luca Stanca, Miriam Tomasuolo, Connecting alone (2017): Smartphone use, quality of social interactions and well-being, Journal of Economic Psychology, Volume 63, Pages 17-26.
41. Ryan J. Dwyer, Kostadin Kushlev, Elizabeth W. Dunn, Smartphone use undermines enjoyment of face-to-face social interactions, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Volume 78, 2018, Pages 233-239.
42. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/291018155_Social_Media_Use_in_the_Workplace_A_Study_of_Dual_Effects
43. https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/internet-is-causing-sleep-deprivation/
44. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563213000800
45. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5030365/
46. https://www.createdigital.org.au/dark-web-new-research-ai/
47. https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/pharmacies/dangers-of-buying-medicines-online/
48. https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/latest-porn-statistics-are-surprising-20180424-p4zbd8.html
49. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/may/24/fitness-trackers-out-of-step-when-measuring-calories-research-shows
50. https://www.rsph.org.uk/about-us/news/guest-blog-social-media-family-life-and-wellbeing.html
51. https://www.rsph.org.uk/about-us/news/guest-blog-social-media-family-life-and-wellbeing.html
52. https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/14/3/311
53. https://education.nsw.gov.au/about-us/educational-data/school-research-and-evaluation/research-and-evaluation-projects/past-evaluation-projects/stem-share
54. https://library.educause.edu/resources/2018/8/2018-nmc-horizon-report
55. Walker, R., (2013) ‘‘I don’t think I would be where I am right now’’. Pupil perspectives on using mobile devices for learning, Research in Learning Technology Vol. 21.
56. https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/families-hit-with-rising-byod-school-technologycosts-20170126-gtz7sj.html and https://www.afr.com/technology/byo-technology-hikes-back-to-school-costs-20180124-h0nvk0 Sport, culture and the internet: Are Australian children participating? The Smith Family Research Report, June 2013
57. (Collin et al., 2011; Swist et al., 2015).
58. https://www.washington.edu/doit/universal-design-education-principles-and-applications
59. Bullot A., Cave, L., Fildes, J., Hall, S. and Plummer, J. 2017, Mission Australia’s 2017 Youth Survey Report, Mission Australia.
60. Baumrind, D. (1967). Child care practices anteceding three patterns of preschool behavior. Genetic Psychology Monographs, 75(1), 43-88.
61. http://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/download/dp1350.pdf, p17
62. The Educator 26 Jun 2018 The pros and cons of banning phones in schools

Appendices

Appendix 1 – discussion guides

The discussion guides that guided the focus groups with parents, students and teachers are reproduced
here.

Focus group discussion guide – students

Introduction & Warm-Up (5 mins)

• Welcome and thank for attendance
• Introduce self and client observers (if applicable)
• State aim of discussion – The Ipsos Social Research Institute is conducting this research on behalf of the NSW Government to better understand how kids and teenagers use mobile devices
• Housekeeping: toilets, fire alarm, turn off mobile phones
• Duration of meeting (1.5hrs)
• Open and frank feedback welcomed
• Own perspective is important, all opinions are valid. There are no right or wrong answers
• Everyone to participate, feel free to (politely) disagree, but do not talk over each other
• Moderator may need to move the conversation on to new topic occasionally to make sure key areas are covered in the time we have
• If it comes up, there is no need to share the reason any personal details if you’re not comfortable doing so. If at any point you feel uncomfortable talking about a particular topic, feel free to excuse yourself from the room for a few minutes, or ask me to move on
• Confidentiality assured – reporting on themes, including anonymous quotes in support
• Permission for recording

Participant Introduction – each member of the group to introduce themselves

Questions – General (10-15 mins)

• What age were you when you got your first phone? And why did you get one at that age? Was there a specific reason? PROBE
• And were you asking for a phone – or did your parents suggest that you needed one?
• How did you feel when you got your first phone?
• What was most exciting about having your first phone? What were you looking forward to doing with it? PROBE. And were there any frustrations or disappointments about that first phone?
• And thinking about the phone you have now, what kind of mobile device do you use?
• Do any of you have a smart watch? IF YES, PROBE FOR SMART WATCH USING THE ABOVE LIST AND KEEP THIS DEVICE IN MIND WHEN GOING THROUGH THE REST OF THE GUIDE.

Questions – School use (20-30 mins)

• From what you know, what’s your school’s policy about using your mobile device at school?
  • Can you use it if you’re on school grounds?
  • Before school?
  • At recess or lunch?
  • In class?
• If you want to use your mobile device at school, what kind of things do you use it for? PROBE, WRITE FULL LIST ON FLIPCHART. And which of these are necessary uses – and which are just ‘nice to do’ uses?
  • PROMPT FOR school-related activity, listening to music, sending text messages, making phone calls, using social media, playing games, shopping, watching online videos, reading books, communicating with parents, anything else?
  • Which of these are you allowed to do at school? And which are you not allowed to do?
  • Which of these do your parents allow you to do? And which do they not allow you to do?
• So in your typical day at school, how often are you using your device for school-related activities? And how often for non-school related activities?
• What do you see as the good things about having access to your mobile device during the school day? PROBE FULLY AND FLIPCHART.
  • Can you give some examples of positive things of being able to use your phone during the school day? PROBE. How about things that might be good for your education?
• And do you think there are any bad sides or issues with having access to your mobile device during the school day? PROBE FULLY AND FLIPCHART. USE PROJECTIVE WORKSHEETS
  • And can you give any examples of negative things of using your phone during the school day? PROBE. How about things that might be bad for your education?
  • Have you ever been distracted by using your device during the day? Were there any consequences? PROBE.
  • And what about more serious issues, like cyberbullying/ abuse/ pornography / social isolation? Does having access to your mobile device at school increase the chance of these types of problems? PROBE FOR YES/NO REASONS.
• How important do you think it is for students to have their mobile device during the school day? PROBE in classes? Outside of classes? PROBE Why is it important/not important?

Questions – Cybersafety education (20-30 mins)

• How much, if anything, would you say you know about using your mobile device safely?
• What, if any, information have your parents given you about using your mobile device safely? PROBE.
• And what, if any, information has your school given you about using your mobile device safely? PROBE AND LIST EXAMPLES.
• And how else have you learnt about how to use your mobile device safely? Have you learnt about cybersafety from anywhere else? PROBE.
• Have you ever tried to find information about cybersafety yourself?
• [IF HASN’T RECEIVED cybersafety EDUCATION] How useful do you think it would be to learn about safe mobile use? E.g. cybersafety education?
• So thinking about the range of cybersafety information or education that you’ve received, or learnt about, what are the most useful things you’ve learnt? PROBE.
• How has this knowledge helped you? PROBE. Do any situations come to mind where this might have helped out? Or where you might do something differently now with the information you’ve now learned?
• Were there things that you were taught about cybersafety that you don’t think have been useful? Or were unrealistic? PROBE. What are the reasons these are unrealistic?
• Can you think of any examples of how you’ve changed how you use your mobile device, after receiving some cybersafety information or education?
• And whose responsibility do you think it is to ensure you use your mobile devices safely? Yours? Your parents? Your teachers and school? PROBE Why do you say that?
• Is there anything you would like to learn more about when it comes to cybersafety? Or anything that you think would be useful for you, or keep you out of bad situations?

Questions – School policy (20-30 mins)

• Earlier we briefly discussed your school’s policy about using your mobile devices at school. What do you think about the school’s policy?
  • IF POSITIVE/NEGATIVE PROBE FULLY Why do you say that?
  • Why do you think the school has a policy around mobile device use at school?
  • Do you think the school’s policy is helpful? IF YES/NO, why do you say that?
  • Does the policy help with some of the issues we talked about earlier? PROBE Why/why not? Are there particular issues the policy helps with, and other issues it doesn’t help with?
  • Do students generally follow these rules, or not?
  • How seriously does your school enforce its mobile device policy? How well do you think the school is enforcing the policy?
  • What are the consequences when students break these rules?
  • What do you think your school’s policy should be? What do you think would work best to deal with some of the issues we talked about earlier?
• In your opinion, what policy should your school have in place about how and when you can use your device? USE FLIPCHART TO FULLY EXPLORE STUDENT’S PREFERRED MOBILE DEVICE POLICY USE PROJECTIVE WORKSHEETS
  • When do you think you should be allowed to use your mobile device at school? PROBE Why?
  • Are there particular places/circumstances when mobile device use should be allowed, where it currently isn’t?
• Some people suggest that there should be greater restrictions on the use of mobile devices during school hours.
  • What do you think about this suggestion? IF SUPPORT/OPPOSE, PROBE WHY.
  • What impact would it have on you if you weren’t able to use your mobile device during school hours? PROBE.
  • How would you feel if you couldn’t use your phone at all at school?
  • In what ways would it affect your life? PROBE FOR IMPACT ON SOCIAL LIFE, PROGRESS AT SCHOOL, COMMUNICATION WITH PARENTS.
  • IF YEARS 7-12, Do you think access to mobile phones should vary according to which year you are in at school? IF SO, at what age should students get access – or more access to their mobile devices? PROBE.
  • If there were greater restrictions on use of mobile devices during school hours, what would be the advantages? PROBE.
  • And what would be the disadvantages? PROBE.
• Who do you think should be responsible for deciding on policies and rules for mobile device use at school? PROBE: Your school? The students themselves? Parents or parent bodies? The Government? Why this group?

Thank and close (5 mins)

Focus group discussion guide – parents

Introduction & Warm-Up (5 mins)

• Welcome and thank for attendance
• Introduce self and client observers (if applicable)
• State aim of discussion – The Ipsos Social Research Institute is conducting this research on behalf of the NSW Government to better understand how kids and teenagers use mobile devices
• Housekeeping: toilets, fire alarm, turn off mobile phones
• Duration of meeting (1.5hrs)
• Open and frank feedback welcomed
• Own perspective is important, all opinions are valid. There are no right or wrong answers
• Everyone to participate, feel free to (politely) disagree, but do not talk over each other
• Moderator may need to move the conversation on to new topic occasionally to make sure key areas are covered in the time we have
• If it comes up, there is no need to share the reason any personal details if you’re not comfortable doing so. If at any point you feel uncomfortable talking about a particular topic, feel free to excuse yourself from the room for a few minutes, or ask me to move on
• Confidentiality assured – reporting on themes, including anonymous quotes in support
• Permission for recording

Participant Introduction – each member of the group to introduce themselves

Questions – General (10-15 mins)

• Do your children have a mobile device/phone?
  • IF SO, what age were your children when they got their first phone? And why did you get them one at that age? Was there a specific reason? PROBE
  • And were they asking you for a phone – or did you suggest that they needed one?
  • How did you feel when they got their first phone? PROBE
  • And thinking about the phone they have now, what kind of mobile device do they use?
  • IF NOT, when, if at all, do you think you’ll get your child a mobile device?
  • What do you think will prompt you to get a phone for them?
  • And what are your considerations for and against getting them a phone? PROBE.
• What, if any, ‘house rules’ does your family have around mobile device use? PROBE AND LIST.
  • Why have you come up with those particular rules? PROBE.
    • How effectively/seriously do you enforce your ‘house rules’?
    • How much of a problem, if at all, do you find it managing your child’s mobile device use? PROBE
    • How do you about modelling good mobile device practice at home, if at all? How well do you find this works?

Questions – School use (20 mins)

• From what you know, what’s your child’s school’s policy about using a mobile device at school?
  • Can they use it on school grounds?
  • Before school?
  • At recess or lunch?
  • In class?
• From what you know, if they want to use their mobile device at school, what kind of things do they use it for? PROBE, WRITE FULL LIST ON FLIPCHART. And which of these are necessary uses – and which are just ‘nice to do’ uses?
  • PROMPT FOR school-related activity, listening to music, sending text messages, making phone calls, using social media, playing games, shopping, watching online videos, reading books, communicating with you/family.
• So in a typical day at school, how much time do you think they normally spend on their device? And what proportion of that is for school-related activities? And how much for non-school related activities?
• From what you know, what do you see as the benefits of students having access to their mobile device during the school day? PROBE FULLY AND FLIPCHART.
  • Can you give some examples of positive consequences of students being able to use their phone during the school day? PROBE.
  • Are you in contact with your child/ren during and/or after school hours using mobile devices? When do you do this? How useful/necessary is this to you? PROBE. What impact would it have if you weren’t able to be in contact with your child/ren throughout the school day?
• And do you think there are any drawbacks or issues with students having access to their mobile device during the school day? PROBE FULLY AND FLIPCHART.
  • And can you give any examples of negative consequences of students using their phone during the school day?
  • And what about more serious issues, like cyberbullying/ image-based abuse/ pornography? Does having access to their mobile device at school increase the chance of these types of problems? PROBE FOR YES/NO REASONS.
• How important do you think it is for students to have their mobile device during the school day? PROBE in classes? Outside of classes? PROBE Why is it important/not important?

Questions – Cybersafety education (20-30 mins)

• How much, if anything, would you say you know about the safe use of mobile devices by your child/ren?
• And what sources have you used to get this information? PROBE.
• And what, if any, information has your school given your child/ren about using their mobile device safely? PROBE AND LIST EXAMPLES.
• And where else have your child/ren learnt about how to use their mobile devices safely? Have they learnt about cybersafety from anywhere else? PROBE.
• Have you ever tried to find information about cybersafety yourself? [IF CHILD/REN HASN’T RECEIVED cybersafety EDUCATION] How useful do you think it would be for your child/ren to learn about safe mobile use? E.g. cybersafety education?
• So thinking about the range of cybersafety information or education that they’ve received, or learnt about, what are the most useful things they’ve learnt? PROBE.
• How has this knowledge helped them? PROBE.
• Were there things that they’ve been taught about cybersafety that you don’t think have been useful? Or were unrealistic? PROBE.
• Can you think of any examples of how they’ve changed their use of their mobile device, after receiving some cybersafety information or education?
• Whose responsibility do you think it is to ensure they use their mobile devices safely? Yours? Your child/ren? The teachers and school? PROBE Why do you say that?
• Whose responsibility do you think it is to ensure students use their mobile devices in an effective way? E.g. being digitally literate, forming strong relationships, etc. Students? Parents? Teachers and school? PROBE Why do you say that?

Questions – School policy (20-30 mins)

• Earlier we briefly discussed your child’s school’s policy about students using their mobile devices at school. What do you think about the school’s policy?
  • IF POSITIVE/NEGATIVE PROBE FULLY Why do you say that?
  • Why do you think the school has a policy around mobile device use at school?
  • Do you think the school’s policy is helpful? IF YES/NO, why do you say that?
  • Do students generally follow these rules, or not?
  • How seriously does your school enforce its mobile device policy?
  • What are the consequences when students break these rules?
• In your opinion, what policy should your school have in place about how and when you can use your device? USE FLIPCHART TO FULLY EXPLORE STUDENT’S PREFERRED MOBILE DEVICE POLICY
  • When do you think students should be allowed to use their mobile device at school? PROBE Why?
  • Are there particular places/circumstances when mobile device use by students should be allowed?
  • Have you ever had to work with the school to ensure your child is using their mobile device appropriately? PROBE. How did you do this? How effective was this?
• Some people suggest that there should be greater restrictions on the use of mobile devices by students during school hours?
  • What do you think about this suggestion? IF SUPPORT/OPPOSE, PROBE WHY.
  • What impact would it have on your children if they weren’t able to use their mobile device during school hours? PROBE.
  • How would they feel if they couldn’t use their phone at all at school?
  • In what ways would it affect their life? PROBE FOR IMPACT ON SOCIAL LIFE, PROGRESS AT SCHOOL, COMMUNICATION WITH PARENTS.
  • And how would it affect your life? PROBE COMMUNICATION WITH CHILD/REN, KNOWING WHERE THEY ARE (‘FIND FRIENDS’)
  • Do you think access to mobile phones should vary according to which year children are in at school? IF SO, at what age should students get access – or more access to their mobile devices? PROBE.
  • If there were greater restrictions on use of mobile devices during school hours, what would be the advantages? PROBE.
    • What if these restrictions were put in place by Government, rather than your child/ren’s school?
  • And what would be the disadvantages? PROBE.
  • How do you think students would learn to regulate their mobile device usage if they were banned at school?
  • What do you think would be the long term implications of banning mobile devices at school? PROBE. Would there be any impacts on their development of digital skills? Or digital attitudes?
  • How would you feel about needing to be responsible for your children’s development and digital skills and attitudes yourself, rather than them learning about this through school?

Thank and close

Focus group discussion guide – teachers and principals

Introduction & Warm-Up (5 mins)

• Welcome and thank for attendance
• Introduce self and client observers (if applicable)
• State aim of discussion – The Ipsos Social Research Institute is conducting this research on behalf of the NSW Government to better understand how kids and teenagers use mobile devices
• Housekeeping: toilets, fire alarm, turn off mobile phones
• Duration of meeting (1.5hrs)
• Open and frank feedback welcomed
• Own perspective is important, all opinions are valid. There are no right or wrong answers
• Everyone to participate, feel free to (politely) disagree, but do not talk over each other
• Moderator may need to move the conversation on to new topic occasionally to make sure key areas are covered in the time we have
• If it comes up, there is no need to share the reason any personal details if you’re not comfortable doing so. If at any point you feel uncomfortable talking about a particular topic, feel free to excuse yourself from the room for a few minutes, or ask me to move on
• Confidentiality assured – reporting on themes, including anonymous quotes in support
• Permission for recording

Participant Introduction – each member of the group to introduce themselves

Questions – School use (20 mins teachers / 10-15 mins principals)

• What is your school’s policy about using mobile devices at school?
  • Can students use phones if they’re on school grounds?
  • Before school?
  • At recess or lunch?
  • In class?
• How long has the current policy been in place?
• What are your thoughts on the current policy? PROBE GOOD/BAD, REASONS WHY.
• In what ways do students currently say they need to use their phones? PROBE, WRITE FULL LIST ON FLIPCHART. And which of these are necessary uses – and which are just ‘nice to do’ uses?
  • PROMPT FOR school-related activity, listening to music, sending text messages, making phone calls, using social media, playing games, shopping, watching online videos, reading books, communicating with parents.
• So in a typical day at school, how often do you think students normally use their device for school-related activities? And how often for non-school related activities?
• What do you see as the benefits of students having access to their mobile devices during the school day? PROBE FULLY AND FLIPCHART.
  • Can you give some examples of positive consequences of students being able to use their phones during the school day? PROBE.
  • Can you give any examples of how use of mobile devices can enhance a student’s educational progress?
• And do you think there are any drawbacks or issues with students having access to their mobile devices during the school day. PROBE FULLY AND FLIPCHART.
  • And can you give any examples of negative consequences of students using their phones during the school day? How does it affect students? PROBE FOR ABILITY TO FOCUS, RETAIN INFORMATION ETC.
  • Have you ever seen students distracted by using their mobile devices during the day? Were there any consequences? PROBE.
  • Under what circumstances does device use become problematic in your school?
  • Have you had any bad situations or problems with students in your school that occurred because they were using mobile devices? Either on school grounds or outside of school.
  • And what about more serious issues, like cyberbullying? Do students having access to their mobile devices at school increase the chance of cyberbullying? And what are the other risks? PROBE FOR YES/NO REASONS.
  • Are there particular students who find it difficult to comply with the school’s policy? Why is that? PROBE.
• How important do you think it is for students to have their mobile device during the school day? PROBE in classes? Outside of classes? PROBE Why is it important/not important?

Questions – Cybersafety education (20-30 mins teachers / 10-15 mins principals)

• How much would you say you know about the safe use of mobile devices?
• What training, if any, have you been given about the safe use of mobile devices and cybersafety? When/where did you receive that training?
• If you need guidance or advice on this issue, who do you turn to? PROBE.
• How much, if anything, would you say students know about the safe use of mobile devices?
• What, if any, information has your school given students about using their mobile device safely? PROBE AND LIST EXAMPLES. Have you ever personally given students information about mobile device safety?
• And how else do you think students have learnt about how to use their mobile devices safely? PROBE.
• Thinking about the range of cybersafety information or education that they receive, or learn about, what do you think are the most useful things they need to know? PROBE.
• How will this knowledge help them? PROBE.
• Whose responsibility do you think it is to ensure students use their mobile devices safely? Students? Parents? Teachers and school? PROBE Why do you say that?
• Whose responsibility do you think it is to ensure students use their mobile devices in an effective way? E.g. being digitally literate, forming strong relationships, etc. Students? Parents? Teachers and school? PROBE Why do you say that?
• What, if any, training have you had about regulating phone use in classrooms? IF HAD TRAINING: How did you find this? How well did this equip you? How could this be improved?
• What, if any, training have you had about using mobile devices for educational use in classrooms? IF HAD TRAINING: How did you find this? How well did this equip you? How could this be improved?

Questions – School policy (20-30 mins teachers / 10-15 mins principals)

• Earlier we briefly discussed your school’s policy about students using mobile devices at school. What do you think about the school’s policy?
  • IF POSITIVE/NEGATIVE PROBE FULLY Why do you say that?
  • Why do you think the school has a policy around mobile device use at school?
  • Do you think the school’s policy is helpful? IF YES/NO, why do you say that?
  • Do you and your colleagues follow the school policy to manage mobile devices in schools? IF NOT, WHY NOT? How easy is it to manage/enforce the policy?
  • Do students generally follow these rules, or not?
  • How seriously does your school enforce its mobile device policy?
  • What are the consequences when students break these rules?
• How effective do you think the current policy is?
• Do you know of policies at other schools that may be more effective? Why do you think these are more effective?
• In your opinion, what policy should schools have in place about how and when students can use their devices? USE FLIPCHART TO FULLY EXPLORE TEACHERS’ PREFERRED MOBILE DEVICE POLICY
  • When do you think students should be allowed to use their mobile device at school? PROBE Why?
  • Are there particular places/circumstances when mobile device use should be allowed, where it currently isn’t?
  • Are there any technical solutions that you think could help to manage students’ use of mobile devices at school? What might these be? How would they help?
• Do you use mobile devices as a teaching tool or support in your classroom? PROBE FOR EXAMPLES
  • In your opinion, how helpful is it to use mobile devices as a teaching tool in the classroom? How does it enhance your quality of teaching? PROBE.
  • Are there any downsides to trying to use mobile devices during lessons? PROBE.
• Who do you normally go to for advice about mobile device usage? PROBE: students using mobile devices inappropriately or too often in class or on school grounds / students facing issues as a result of mobile devices / using mobile devices as part of education in class
  • How have you found this? How much support have you received? What support would be useful here?
  • Do you ever work with colleagues to improve the way students use their mobile devices? E.g. share ideas or feedback?
• Some people suggest that there should be greater restrictions on the use of mobile devices during school hours.
  • What do you think about this suggestion? IF SUPPORT/OPPOSE, PROBE WHY.
  • What impact would it have on students if they weren’t able to use their mobile devices during school hours? PROBE. IMPACT ON SOCIAL LIFE?
  • How would you feel if they couldn’t use their phone at all at school?
  • In what ways would it affect your professional life? PROBE FOR IMPACT.
  • Do you think access to mobile phones should vary according to which year students are in at school? IF SO, at what age should students get access – or more access to their mobile devices? PROBE.
  • If there were greater restrictions on use of mobile devices during school hours, what would be the advantages? PROBE.
    • What if these restrictions were put in place by Government, rather than your school?
  • And what would be the disadvantages? PROBE.
  • How do you think students would learn to regulate their mobile device usage if they were banned at school?
  • What do you think would be the long term implications of banning mobile devices at school? PROBE. Would there be any impacts on their development of digital skills? Or digital attitudes?
• Who do you think should be responsible for deciding on policies and rules for mobile device use at school? PROBE: Your school? The students themselves? Parents or parent bodies? The Government? Why this group?

Thank and close (5 mins)

Survey Questions

Student

Q1. I am responding as…

Q2. Which year group are you in?

Q3. Do you use a mobile digital device at school?

Q4. What do you use your mobile device for while at school?

Q5. During the school day, approximately how much time do you spend on your device on non-school related activities?

Q6. Do you think there are risks associated with using these devices at school?

Q7. Do you think there are benefits associated with using these devices at school?

Q8. Have you received any education in cybersafety?

Q9. How would your life change if you weren’t able to access your device during school hours?

Q10 What rules should your school have in place about how and when you can use your device?

Q11. Should the government restrict you from using your device in school time?

Q12. Additional comments for students

Parents

Q13. Are you worried about students having access to mobile phone devices at recess and lunch time in schools?

Q14. Are there advantages to young people having access to mobile devices in school hours?

Q15. Have you ever had to work with a school to ensure your child is using their device appropriately?

Q16. What forms of cybersafety education have you found most useful?

Q17. What strategies do you use at home to regulate your child’s use of mobile devices?

Q18. Whose responsibility is it to ensure children and young people use mobile device wisely?

Q19. What rules are in place at your child’s school to regulate the use of mobile devices and are these rules appropriate?

Q20. Should the government restrict the use of mobile devices in primary schools?

Q21. Should the government restrict the use of mobile devices in high schools?

Q22. Additional comments from parents

Educators

Q23. Under what circumstances does mobile device use become problematic in your school?

Q24. What rules are in place at your school to regulate mobile device use by students and how do you manage this? How easy is it to enforce school rule and why?

Q25. Do you use mobile device as a teaching tool or support in your classroom?

Q26. Whose responsibility is it to ensure children and young people use mobile devices safely?

Q27. How do you currently work with other teachers to manage mobile devices in schools and who do you turn to for advice?

Q28. Do you actively seek further training around the effective use of digital technology?

Q29. Is the use of mobile devices more problematic for some students?

Q30. Do you believe that the presence of smart phones at recess and lunch time reduces opportunities for social interaction between students?

Q31. Do you have any evidence that the presence of mobile devices in schools increases cyberbullying, image based abuse and access to pornography?

Q32. Should the government restrict the use of mobile devices in primary schools?

Q33. Should the government restrict the use of mobile devices in high schools?

Q34. Additional comments from educators

Analysis of the survey responses

The open-response survey items were analysed by a team of Western Sydney University (WSU) researchers and a research-assistant experienced in qualitative and quantitative mixed, methods research and data analysis and the use of NVivo software. The team familiarised themselves with the questions and formed an overarching sense of patterns in the responses. This scoping stage was followed by three rounds of analysis: in the first round key themes were identified for each of the questions, and in the second round themes from related questions were combined and consolidated. The third stage of data analysis was a meta-analysis of all the open-response survey items.

Appendix 2 – Sample school policies as they pertain to mobile digital devices

Note: This appendix does not meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. To request this information in accessible formats, email review-mobiledevices@det.nsw.edu.au.

Download Appendix 2 (PDF 13011.37KB).

Appendix 3 – Resources provided to the review team in submissions

Office of the eSafety Commissioner

Acknowledging that the Australian Curriculum is already crowded, and teachers are already under time pressures, the Office has developed a range of evidence-based frameworks, tools and programs, mapped to the Australian Curriculum and hosted on the Well Being Hub and at www.esafety.gov.au, to support schools play this role.

Our programs include:

• Young and eSafe – a platform to empower young people to think critically and to take action as positive bystanders if they encounter online conduct such as cyberbullying.
• Rewrite Your Story – video based resources to initiate conversations around harmful online behaviours, particularly cyberbullying.
• Be Deadly Online – a platform aimed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, tackling cyberbullying, sexting and reputation management.
• The Lost Summer – a gamified educational tool that teaches young people the value of behaviours like respect, consent and empathy through game play and is supported by lesson plans and guidance for teachers.

To redress this knowledge gap, the Office publishes and regularly updates a wide range of resources on our iParent portal help parents understand cyber safety issues and how to mitigate the inherent risks. This includes the following guidance on the internet and smartphones:

• eSafety guidance for parents of pre-schoolers: practical tips to help manage your child’s first access to connected devices.
• Your child’s first smartphone: what to consider before giving your child their first smartphone.

Complementing this is the recently released Screen Smart Parent Tour, a self-reflective and interactive tool designed to help parents of 10-14 year olds get up to speed with cyber safety matters.

Black Dog Institute

By providing accessible and anonymous prevention and treatment, the Internet can play an important role in overcoming obstacles for seeking help. Back Dog Institute’s mental health prevention and early intervention school-based programs that utilise smartphone devices in their delivery and implementation include:

• Bite Back – The very first free online positive psychology program designed to improve the overall wellbeing of young Australians between 13 and 16 years old (15,000 users in Australia). This program is now available to all Australian schools.
• Sleep Ninja – This program is for young people with sleep difficulties, and delivers Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Insomnia, with effects on sleep and mood. Following successful piloting and feasibility testing in 6 schools, this program is now being taken to trial phase.
• Smooth Sailing – Delivered in the classroom, the Smooth Sailing service utilises a website (accessed on mobile and desktops), to screen students’ mental health and provide care via online therapy programs or face to face with the school counsellor. This service has been implemented in 26 NSW high schools, with over 1800 young people taking part. The service also provides a secure online portal, allowing school counsellors to initiate and action follow-up.
• SPARX – An online, gamified Cognitive Behaviour Therapy program, which effectively prevents the onset of depressive symptoms, when delivered to adolescents prior to a significant, universal stressor like final secondary school exams. This program was delivered in 10 selective high schools in NSW.