By Nathan Kelly

With more and more young people gaining access to mobile phones, schools in Scotland are trying to crack down on the use of phones on school premises.

The Scottish conservative party are backing the push for a ban on phones, making it a topic of much debate, with some people backing the campaign and some disagreeing.

Stevie Neilson, 41 from Larkhall, said: "I think it should be up to the

schools to decide policy on phones they can decide when students use them and for

what purpose.

"I think phones can be a distraction as too many students are on them, I think getting a balance between phone and studying time is key."

The Scottish government's official stance is that it's up to the schools to decide, but that could change if the Conservatives get more support on the issue.

Alec Thompson from Rutherglen said: "If pupils can Google answers, then how does a teacher know if they know and understand the information taught.

"Phones can cause bullying, especially if you don't have the "right type" of phone or the latest version. It can also lead to bullying on social media apps which has been a huge problem for years.

"The negatives of phones in school far outweigh the positives. It's harder to concentrate on schoolwork and teachers when social media alerts pop up. Attention spans are lower because everything needs to be instant, no need to

remember facts and those things taught as you can search the Internet."

Pupils could now be required to hand in their phones before classes. Pupils who are young carers or with special circumstances would be allowed to have access during the school day but those without would face these restrictions.

But some people still believe phones should not be banned in schools.

Eilidh Bird, 18 from East Kilbride said: "I don't think that the schools should be

able to decide as phones can also have a positive impact.

"Phones aren’t always being used as distractions. They are often used to help students. They use them to see slides or look up things they don't understand."

With covid bringing the popularity of online teaching platforms like teams and Google classroom, most assignments and teaching materials are online, leading phones to be a necessity for students to access their learning materials.

Scott Thom, 18 from Hamilton said: "I think that they’re a big distraction.

“I know for me personally I get distracted by my phone a lot. If it wasn’t there it would probably lead to a lot less distractions. But, again, there’s a lot of positives we have with them as well. So, I don’t know what you can really do, if it's better to ban them or not."

The World Health Organisation (WHO) suggests that 14-year-olds have an average screen time of only three hours. With phones being used in schools more and more, the average screen time for teenagers is skyrocketing. With the overuse of screens having negative side effects like sleep issues and attention deficits, its making people wonder if the conservatives are right in banning phones in schools.

Rachel Thompson,26 from Kilsyth said: “I think phones open the door to bullying in school.

“In primary school you definitely shouldn’t have phones but maybe not in high school.”

With the average screen time for 14-year-olds being around 8 hours, it really leaves no time for studying or homework. This overuse of phones could result in the decline in student's performance.

Megan Reid, 19 from Kilmarnock said: “I would say phones are distracting the students yes, but I wouldn’t say they’re negatively impacting grades.”

Are the conservatives right in thinking phones should be banned in schools? Or should it be up to the schools to decide?

Distraction or necessity? Scottish government in talks to ban phones in schools