Security first: Parents reject proposed ban on phones in schools, despite knowing it hampers studies

Russia’s top lawmaker has urged that mobile phones be forbidden in Russian schools, as they distract both teachers and students, but polls show that being in touch with their kids is more important for most parents.

“Many teachers, principals and parents are concerned that phones are a distraction from studying, especially for pupils in elementary grades,” Valentina Matviyenko, the speaker of the Upper House of the Russian Parliament, said.

Instead of communicating with each other or engaging in physical activities during breaks, like it used to be, they pick up their phones and play games, forgetting how to talk to each other.

However, Matviyenko pointed out that the use of phones in schools was a “delicate issue” that couldn’t be solved throughs restriction only. Creating special lockers in schools where the gadgets could be stored during classes may provide an alternative, she added.

Consumer rights protection watchdog Rospotrebnadzor and the Russian Academy on Education were tasked with forming a working group on the rules for using phones at schools, and to share its conclusions within a month.

But the parents already know the answer: a fresh poll by Deti Mail.ru revealed that over 80 percent rejected the idea.

43 percent of the 10,000 people surveyed expressed the belief that all gadgets should be allowed. Another 38 percent said they didn’t mind restrictions on smartphones, but insisted that kids should still be allowed to use phones with simpler features.

Moms and dads said that the phones were needed so that they could always be able to contact their children.Children’s safety, it turns out, is more important than the quality of education; 50 percent of the parents acknowledged that gadgets made it harder for their children to concentrate on studying.

Another research by Superjob website asked 300 teachers about the proposed ban, with six out of 10 saying that “cellphones hindered the learning process as kids constantly got distracted.” Some also expressed concerns over the electromagnetic waves being a danger to the health of the pupils.

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