‘Moderating’ use of phones in school should be considered by government – Dillon

MAYO TD Alan Dillon has said the government should consider ‘moderating’ the use of phones in secondary schools.

The Fine Gael TD made his comments in response to a report in the Irish Mirror that the Minister for Education, Norma Foley, is considering banning mobile phones in schools.

Minister Foley is due to bring a memo to cabinet shortly outlining her proposals.

While not calling for an outright ban, Deputy Dillon said working with schools to implement new policies on phone use ‘would certainly be a positive thing’.

St Joseph’s Secondary School in Castlebar have recently implemented a regime where students deposit their phones in a pouch before retrieving them at the end of the day.

“I suppose moderating of the use of phones is a good thing. Certainly, there’s benefits to it,” Deputy Dillon told The Mayo News.

“It doesn’t distract students from the ability to learn. I think they still will be able to socialise, and it has an overall benefit to the school environment in many different ways. Certainly, for young people, there’s a lot of pressure using phones and social media platforms. I think government need to recognise the mental health impact that that may have.”

Deputy Dillon, who is a former secondary school teacher, also cited the ‘bullying impact’ associated with smartphones among teenagers.

“I think it’ll benefit them in many different ways. So rather than pointing the finger at them I think working with schools to best inform them on how they can implement policies across the board would certainly be a positive thing,” the first-time TD added.

VAPING

SEPARATELY, Deputy Dillon has called for a ban on vaping in schools, which he has described as ‘a major issue’.

A recent survey by Foróige Sligo suggested that more than a third of 13-16 years-old vape even though they never previously smoked.

Several academic studies have linked vaping with various respiratory conditions.

Raising the issue in the Dáil, Deputy Dillon said he had received ‘numerous calls’ from concerned parents regarding the issue.

He described the case of a ten-year-old caught vaping in school as ‘particularly disturbing’.

Deputy Dillon, who now chairs the Fine Gael parliamentary party, commended the introduction of the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill 2023, which will see a ban introduced on the sale of vaping products to those under 18.

In response, An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the government would look at banning vaping in schools.

The Fine Gael leader also supported Deputy Dillon’s suggestion of a targeted education campaign to dissuade young people from vaping.