From term 1 next year, mobile phones and other personal communication devices will be banned for Kindergarten to Year 10 public school students during the school day, while Year 11 and 12 students will only be able to use them during lunch or breaks, the ACT Government announced today.

The government announced in September that it would review policies with a possible view to banning or restricting their use.

“We received more than 3,200 contributions from community members, including current and previous students, parents and carers, school staff, Directorate employees, and members of the ACT community as part of our consultation on this matter,” Yvette Berry, Minister for Education and Youth Affairs, said.

“Through our very broad engagement with the ACT community, we heard that there is strong and consistent support for the removal or minimisation of student mobile phone use in ACT public schools.”

Kindergarten to Year 10 students will be strongly encouraged to leave their phones and other personal devices at home; however, some students will need access to their phones immediately before and after school to get to and from school safely.

College (Year 11 and 12) students will need to silence and put away their mobile phones and other personal communications devices during class. They will be allowed to use their devices at lunch or break times.

“There is strong community and public school staff support for students not to use or access their personal communication devices in primary and high school years, and for ‘put it away’ restrictions during class time for college aged students,” Ms Berry said.

“With regard to colleges, the feedback we received during this process showed an understanding that older students generally required more flexibility and were more responsible than younger students. Given the flexible nature of class times and attendance in the college years, stronger restrictions would also be much harder to implement.”

School principals can provide exemptions from this new policy if a student needs their device to manage or monitor a medical condition, to meet caring or family responsibilities, or when teachers believe phones are more useful than Chromebooks (for example, recording a dance performance).

A transition period up to the end of Term 1, 2024 will be available for schools to implement the change, and for those families needing to provide exemptions and the necessary documentation to the school.

Australian Education Union ACT

The Australian Education Union – ACT welcomed the introduction of a consistent policy position on mobile phones in schools, branch president Angela Burroughs said.

“The current policy position leaves it up to schools to make their own decisions in relation to mobile phones in schools. Over time, this has created inconsistencies, confusion and unnecessary stress for teachers, students, and parents.  The move to a consistent position is strongly supported by AEU members, and it is clearly the preferred position to have emerged from student and community consultations.”

Teachers believe that removing distracting mobile phones would be a good thing, Ms Burroughs added.

Nevertheless, Ms Burroughs said: “We have to be sensitive to the fact that some students have grown up with mobile phones and are very attached to them. We really need parents to support their child/ren in understanding and complying with the changes to mobile phone use in schools that will be introduced next year.”

ACT Council of Parents and Citizens Associations

The ACT Council of Parents and Citizens Associations – the peak body representing the views of ACT public school parents – welcomes the release of the ACT Government’s mobile phones policy ahead of the 2024 school year. 

Council Executive Officer Veronica Elliott said the policy aligns with community expectations that primary and high school students should not use mobile devices at school, while college students have more flexibility to manage their own mobile phone use. 

“The policy reflects what we have heard from parents and carers:  that the priority for students in the classroom should be learning,” Ms Elliott said. 

“We are particularly pleased that the policy provides college students with the opportunity to learn how to appropriately use these devices outside of class time.” 

The Council urges the Government to ensure the new policy is consistently applied and well communicated across all ACT public schools. 

“Parents and carers told us they wanted to see more consistency across ACT public schools, so that is what we will be looking for next year,” Ms Elliott said.  

“We’re hoping that the Education Directorate will provide clear and timely communications for schools to share before the school term starts, so parents, carers and students all understand exactly what will change next year.” 

While Council welcomes exemptions for students with disabilities that require the use of a mobile device, Ms Elliott is concerned “this new policy will increase the workload for schools and families of students with disabilities, as they will need to apply for an exemption to continue using assistive technologies, consistent with their individualised plans”.

More information about the new Personal Use of Communication Devices in ACT Public Schools policy can be found at www.education.act.gov.au.