Banning students from using their phones while they are at school is “not going to solve the underlying issue”, the Information Commissioner has warned amid wider debate over how Jersey protects children in the digital world.
Paul Vane’s comments come just over two months after the restriction on mobile
phone use during the school day was introduced for students up to Year 11 in government schools.
Ministers have said the policy was introduced as part of a broader strategy to “reduce exposure to harmful content” and “promote healthier digital habits”.
Mr Vane spoke to Express after the Children, Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel published the findings of its review of how Jersey protects children against potential harm through online platforms and digital content.
One of the findings was that, while restrictions or bans on mobile phone use in educational settings can help reduce exposure to certain risks – including “inappropriate content” and “excessive” screen time – they did not address “the root causes related to harmful content itself”.
Additionally, the Panel concluded that such measures might “inadvertently limit” students’ access to educational resources and opportunities to develop “essential digital skills”.
Mr Vane described the phone ban policy as a “step” and “one measure”, but added that: “It’s not going to solve the underlying issue.”
He explained: “Those young people, they’re in school for a certain period of the day.
“The ban, yes, it will reduce their exposure whilst they’re in school – and I don’t see anything wrong with that, because they’re at school to study and learn, not necessarily to be accessing platforms on their mobile phone.
“So I can see the logic of it in that sense.
“However, I’m aware of education tools which may supplement or complement their learning. So by removing them, you have the opposite effect of essentially those students not being able to participate in that.”
Mr Vane also pointed out that, once students were outside of the school environment, “they can do whatever they like in terms of access”.
He continued: “Yes, there are parental measures that can be put in place to reduce that exposure, but they’re not always effective.”
The government has been developing bespoke Jersey legislation in respect of online harms.
In August, Assistant Economic Development Minister Moz Scott stated that, under the legislation being developed, islanders would have the legal right to contact social media platforms to request that content be taken down where it was in breach of the law.
She also said that, if the social media platform was not “responsive”, the Information Commissioner would be able to “advocate on the islanders’ behalf”.
Commenting on the role his office might play in enforcing online harm legislation, Mr Vane said: “We’re still too early in the game, really, to know for certain.
“Policy instruction has gone to the law officers, and we’re going to be engaged through that process.
“So our role at the moment is to work alongside government in developing that first piece of legislation.”