This past week, four schools in Laois have announced their intention to offer parents the chance to sign a 'phone free' pact.

This 'free to be kids' pact declares that parents of primary school students will avoid buying smartphones for their children.

The pact is completely voluntary, and does not include a ban on smart watches or regular mobile phones.

We all know the harm that children could face on social media, we have all harmlessly scrolled past things online that have made us do a double take.

While this pact is a fantastic idea in theory, the sad reality is that many parents will buy their children smartphones regardless. 

Pictured: File photo

We cannot villainise these parents either; there are many parents who will have valid reasons for this.

There are parents who are separated and have regular video calls with their children.

There are parents who, rather than topping up a phone or paying a monthly phone bill, would rather their child use the wifi-based app WhatsApp to tell them what bus they're getting home, or when to be picked up from a friend's house.

As adults, it's easy for us to say 'fair enough' to such circumstances, but for other children, it would simply be seen as devastating and 'unfair'.

In a class of 20 students, if one or two children had smartphones, they would be the 'lucky' ones. If half of the class did, and your child didn't, you would be seen as 'the worst in the world'.

If your child came home crying that 'all of their classmates' had smartphones, and that they were ridiculed for not having one, what would you do?

Would you allow yourself to be the villain to protect their safety, or would you cave out of the fear that your child be the odd one out? 

Read more: Four Laois primary schools team up to go 'smartphone free'

The truth is, it isn't the smartphones that are the issue; it's the social media apps that can be downloaded. 

There is no point in signing a pact to never buy your child a smartphone, and handing your child a tablet with unrestricted access. They can't make physical calls on a tablet, but they can access the apps where the real issues arise.

Most children will use these phones to play mobile games or chat to friends, but the risks arise when it comes to social media.

These 'phone free' pacts are incredibly important, and would have been of great benefit if they were enacted several years ago. 

But they are doomed to fail if the majority of parents do not take part.

Pictured: Over 91% of parents in Scoil Bhríde Rathdowney have said they are 'concerned' over phone usage. File photo

On Friday, Minister for Education and Youth Helen McEntee TD announced a comprehensive national guidance on the use of and access to personal mobile phones by students during the school day.

The guidance requires the full ban of use and access to mobile phones in primary schools during the school day, and a 'restriction' in secondary schools to the use of phones during school hours.

This guidance announced is supported by a €9 million fund, to purchase 'storage solutions' in secondary schools for phones.

These include pouches, lock boxes on lockers, lockable boxes and cubbies in classrooms, and drop off / collection points at the school office.

Minister McEntee has said that the guidance is designed to 'enhance student wellbeing', reduce risks such as cyberbullying and exposure to inappropriate content, promote more focused school environments, with 'greater peer interaction and socialisation'.

“While phones should not be used in our schools, we must also recognise that technology is part of our children’s lives, so it is vital that students have access to appropriate online safety information and resources," the Minister said.

We know that most of what we see online is fake; be it people living 'perfect lives', fake AI videos, scams and 'fantastic new diet trends'. But our children do not have the same savviness; they haven't spent years on social media like the rest of us have.

Phones will never be fully eradicated from schools, not until they are outdated and the next trendy new device is released. 

But for every parent in Laois that signs the 'phone free' pact, it means there is one less local child at risk of cyberbullying, of seeing inappropriate content, or falling victim to the 'fake reality' so easily accessible on the phones in our hands.

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