Students surviving school life without phones
Smart phones have become an inseparable part of modern life. There is nothing quite like the fear of forgetting a phone or it running out of battery prior to a long journey.
But is there a group who long for their phones more than teenagers? People who are always eagerly awaiting the latest TikTok videos, an update from their favourite online influencer or just wanting to hear from their friends on social media.
This information is always at their fingertips, but are these distractions affecting their schoolwork?
A survey of more than 2,600 Irish secondary school students by Studyclix.ie found 54 per cent of teens use phones in class behind teachers' backs.
Budget 2025 included a controversial €9 million scheme to help secondary schools keep students off their phones during the school day.
However, one school that is already using a phone pouch scheme is Coláiste Mhuire in Ballygar. Since September 2024 students have been locking their phones away in a small pouch every morning. They cannot gain access to them again until the end of the school day.
“We had a couple of incidents where students had taken videos and pictures on phones and put them on social media and it was putting some students in bother,” remarked Principal Emma O’Malley, on the background to the decision to introduce the pouches.
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