Canberra high school students have had to find screen-free ways to spend their lunch and recess breaks since a ban on mobile phones came into effect.
Belconnen High School principal Paul Branson said some students had become more engaged in activities outside the classroom since the new policy began at the beginning of the 2024 school year.
"Some of them may have been using their phones before to entertain themselves, they've had to find other ways which I think are positive for both themselves and the school in general," Mr Branson said.
The ACT was the last Australian jurisdiction to bring in a consistent policy to restrict phone use across all public schools.
From term 1 this year, students in kindergarten to year 10 were not allowed to access phones or other personal communication devices at any time during the school day or at school events.
Students in years 11 and 12 must put phones away and on silent during class but are allowed to use them during breaks.
Five weeks into the new policy, Mr Branson said teachers had found the students were less distracted by their devices.
"Certainly our teachers have noted that they're able to engage students more readily and easily, particularly those students who do suffer from some of that addiction to technology," he said.
"They still have the tools of the Chromebooks that every government student has access to, which is great.
"We haven't denied them access to technology, but some of the distractions are reduced."
He said some students had decided not to bring their phones to school.
Schools have had to decide how to implement the policy. For instance, at Belconnen High students have lockers to store their phones during the day, while other schools have lockable pouches.
Exemptions
Schools are still working through issuing exemptions for students who need phones for medical reasons or to assist with learning needs.
Students are required to have some evidence for why they need access to their phone to be granted an exemption.
ACT Council of Parents and Citizens Associations executive officer Veronica Elliott said they had received some feedback from concerned parents during the transition period.
"I think it's always really challenging trying to apply universal policy across a number of different sites," Ms Elliott said.
"And we have in our schools a lot of students with a different range of needs and [we're] just making sure that everybody is supporting those needs in the best way possible."
Education Minister Yvette Berry said she had heard mostly positive feedback from schools so far and it was an opportunity to educate students about addictive behaviour around devices.
"I think there have been challenges to the process, because it's a new thing," Ms Berry said.
"It's a change particularly for young people who have, during the school holidays, had their phones glued to themselves to their sides."
