Phone Ban - Opinion Piece 

Artwork: Cara Patane, Class of 2025

Zaynab Syed, Year 12, Ridgeway Campus 

Effective from the 29th of January 2026, no student at Ivanhoe Grammar School can carry a mobile device- it must be 'off and away' for the duration of the school day. Naturally, this was hard for the student body, so we wanted to unpack both sides to the story: how is a phone ban beneficial, and what does it compromise?  

This policy was implemented in conjunction with the nation-wide social media ban for children under 16, but for many schools across the state, this isn’t necessarily new; the Victorian government has been rolling out mobile phone bans in government schools as well as independent schools since 2021, with each school enforcing this differently to suit the individual culture and needs of the students. According to the Victorian Government website, a phone ban policy aims to provide ‘a safe environment to learn without inappropriate mobile phone use or distractions’ and ‘greater opportunities for social interaction and physical activity during recess and lunchtimes.’  

And this isn’t just exclusive to Victoria – many schools across Australia have sung their praises of this practice to reinforce these advantages, with the South Australia Premier reporting a 63% decline in 'critical incidents involving social media' and a 54% drop in behavioural issues. Schools nationwide have noted improved classroom engagement and better social interaction at break times between students.  

At Ivanhoe Grammar School's Ridgeway Campus, Mr Plumb, a Business Management teacher shared his insights on the phone ban, which align with these statistics, observing 'how well the students have adjusted' to what he agrees is 'a fantastic policy that is already having beneficial impacts around the School'.  

It seems, however, that some are unconvinced; Professor Marilyn Campbell, whose research focuses largely on inclusive education, believes the phone ban to be more for appearances’ sake than helping the students. A lack of hard evidence proving the benefits of a phone ban seems to support this line of reasoning; rather, most studies favour the idea of restricting social media.  

An investigation from the American Psychological Association showed significant benefits for teenagers who regularly took short-term breaks from social media, citing a 24.8% decrease in depression, while the research into just quitting or reducing mobile phone usage doesn’t appear to have nearly as much of a positive impact on teens’ mental health and focus.  

In addition, there are arguments to be made for the inconveniences of a school-wide phone ban. A student shared their misgivings about this decision, stating 'we have grown up with phones and the online world, and they are now a core part of our lives,' and that 'our phones are our responsibility and so is our learning, and as soon-to-be young adults, we should be considered competent enough to manage these obligations on our own without a school-wide ban.'  

Despite the controversy surrounding this topic, mobile phone policies are becoming more common, not just in Australia but also around the world, and many young people are beginning to vocalise their opinions about mobile phones and social media. While this may be a difficult change to adapt to, it will be interesting to see how this adjustment affects our day-to-day schooling.