‘Teaching students how to use smartphones responsibly’ as an alternative to banning them in school, sounds reasonable, but isn’t. We don’t teach them how drink sensibly by surrounding them with booze in classes. We prohibit things that are distracting or attractive because it damages their social skills, reduces concentration, and presents a safeguarding nightmare. We protect children. We teach them to not be online constantly, or be in a permanent state of being online soon. There are no risks here, only benefits. Equity can’t be rolled out every time you want to justify your hobbyhorse. I could make an argument that equity is better served by phone bans. The idea that allowing phone usage will reduce cyberbullying more than literally banning phones, is certainly a bold move, but not a sane one. And ‘scrolling through Instagram’ and ‘sharing TikTok short videos about gunge challenges’ are not workforce skills. We don’t need smartphones to teach literature, art, sport, science. We did just fine for centuries without. There is no evidence that they help. Cellphones are the Monkey’s Paw of education. You think it’s granting your wish but be careful what you wish for. Ban these things twice from schools.