Disconnect to Reconnect

Please see the attached letter form the headteacher at Birchwood HS concerning mobile phone use by children and young people.  The letter is a very much needed initiative to support parents in safeguarding their children using mobile phones. 

The evidence I have read, indicates that for the best results, a group of parents need to buy into a restrictive practice with children’s phones. In this way the group is self-supporting.  Children are less able to say, ‘everyone else has one!’ 

We are hearing too many terrible stories in the media about bullying, grooming and the spread of dangerous materials for us to ignore the fact that mobile phones can be a gateway to danger for our young.  Once the ‘cat is out of the bag’ and children own a mobile phone it is more difficult to protect them and prepare them for better use in the future.  If plans are in place earlier, it can be beneficial for their safety.