FUCK NO!!!!!
But probably not for the reason you think.
There is currently a group in Australia called “The Heads Up Alliance” that are trying to have screens banned for all primary schools across the country. This group is made up of teachers and parents – and has 15K followers. This group was also instrumental in the social media ban for under 16’s last year.
If you’ve read my other blogs on the social media ban – you’ll know my opinion of the harm and stupidity and direct/indirect discrimination of that ban on disabled people under the age of 16. That the ban is not about helping students, it’s about arbitrary control and limiting the ability of disabled people from communicating with the world. And that ban – added to the governments attack on autistic people and otherwise disabled people and their ability to access the community in person (by literally removing funding and supports so that we can access in person communication and supports etc) – is leading to the eradication of disabled children from society altogether. These two bans (the one above and the one below) aren’t about children at all – it’s about direct discrimination of disabled people.
Now they’re directly attacking disability tools. I have corresponded with them – but they are adamant in their ignorance that this new ban (just like the last one) is to help children, not to harm them. They also say that their petition and new ban does not affect or include the use of screens or tools for disabled children – but it does!!!!
This isn’t about children or learning – this is about a group of biased, bigoted people who hate the disabled, their tools and their ability to communicate with the world. First they tried to take their communication access to the world – now they are trying to take their access to learning tools. This isn’t about learning – this is about hatred of technology. Don’t be gullible, naive or ignorant.
When children are taught to use tools appropriately and safely – they use them appropriately and safely. There is no need to ban anything. Banning causes and forces more ignorance, it forces the dumbing down of society and the exclusion of differences and segregates certain groups or communities. This group doesn’t want learning – they want ignorance.
The teachers that they asked about this ban were in agreement – that banning screens isn’t the answer – that teaching how to use these things is the answer. Along with a curriculum that promotes equity, choice and control – while advocating for balance and proper utility of appropriate tools for appropriate learning. They agreed that banning screens will hurt children, not help them. We live in a digital world, and banning tech will force digital illiteracy and harmful use of devices – where children are not taught how to use them properly, effectively and safely.
Banning doesn’t teach. Banning forces people to be sneaky or to get around the ban. The previous under 16’s ban (thank goodness) hasn’t worked so far. But it still sets children up for digital/social media/bullying/ scamming illiteracy… and it sets up the government to be in a prime position to enforce it with fines for already destitute families, and allows the government to bring about the complete decimation of disability rights.
This group has an active petition to ban screens in schools. We don’t need to ban anything…. We need to teach about safety, which tools and mediums are great for different needs and different learning, and how to use them and be critical of what they show you.
Now – all of that are the ‘regular’ reasons why this ban is fucked up and harmful for all children. Let’s now talk about why it harms disabled children.
Disabled children can come with a range of disabilities, eg; blindness or sight/vision issues, Irlen’s or other processing issues, APD, hearing issues, GLP, EDS, dysgraphia, dyspraxia, apraxia and motor disinhibition etc etc etc. All of these things require different tools to help with each disability…. And most of them require screens or other mediums to learn.
When you ban a tool for NT/non disabled children but not for disabled children (as this group wants to do) they effectively make the tool inaccessible to the disabled children as well.
When my children were attending mainstream schooling, they were othered for their needs and their disabilities. That’s what this ban will do. Disabled people already feel different/ othered and ‘weird’ for their differentiated needs and different tools. My kids were picked on, bullied and physically attacked for their different tools. Even though some other children could’ve benefited from those tools being de-stigmatised and used by all.
When you ban something – you stigmatise it. You are literally saying – this tool is bad!
I directly quote the above-mentioned group here: “Our view is that reading physical books is superior to reading off a screen….. we don’t think 1:1 screens are needed at all in primary schools (except for children with special learning needs)”
The first part is extremely ableist – they are literally saying that one tool or medium is superior over disability tools…. Then the second part proves that the disabled community is an afterthought and an ‘add on’. They even comment that screens are needed for some learning needs – so how are they not needed for all. All students benefit from a differentiated medium and tool curricula and learning environment – and yet they think ‘normal’ kids should be banned from one of those tools.
They are stigmatising one type of tool over another.
Physical books are not superior. Listening to a book being read is not bad, reading on a screen is not bad, using a screen to communicate is not bad, using a screen to assist with EDS, arthritis or dysgraphia or another disability (to do with writing ability/capacity) is not bad. But when you ban it for abled people – you stigmatise it for all people – but especially for disabled people.
Let’s also look at it from yet another viewpoint.
Physical books aren’t being printed as much anymore. To get up to date/current and relevant information – you need screens. Encyclopedias and dictionaries have gone the way of the Dodo. You cannot look up a physical book anymore and know that it’s the most current and up to date information. Physical books are not superior in knowledge anymore….. and they are not in choice of medium anymore either.
Also, don’t forget that screens these days offer the latest teaching tools and ways for children to access learning right now – wherever they are.
If you are outside, and want to know what something is, you can take out your phone – use an app like google lens and snap a photo and find out. If you ban tech, the whole class would need to return to the library (which by the way don’t exist in many schools these days), and take painstaking hours to look through nature books, encyclopedias and every source in order to possibly not find the answer. Wasting the students and teachers time - time that they are severely lacking and don’t have… and time that’s need for other learning.
A note on physical libraries: In Australia, most country schools do not have physical books in the schools anymore (because of how out of date they become within the year)… these schools rely on a mobile library (a bus that has very limited number of books, that roams around the schools weekly. Each school has about an hour to look at the books available in the bus/ or van and then pick from what’s available what they want and put their names down on a wait list for a book that has been lent out to another child at another school in the district. These waitlists are 2 weeks long, and sometimes multiple children have put their names down on the list – this means the child is waiting (sometimes) a couple months for that book to become available.
In order to have learning available for these children in these schools – the school would need to be funded to the hilt – to build libraries, to buy books and to hire librarians again. The schools and the government simply don’t have these funds.
Many towns have shut their local libraries or combined their local library with the local high school – which have become dangerous places for primary school aged children to visit – due to the public and high school students using the one space. Most of these libraries have also changed over to digital. They supply computers or a computer room, they have similar waitlists for books, and these libraries are severely limited on space and funds.
Not all schools are in a close proximity to a library either. This would require more time, and more money to transport all the students to these libraries…. And then – the public is detrimented by the number of students attending these sites. A local library in a country town with perhaps 5 or 6 primary schools with maybe 500 students in each school cannot accommodate that number of students visiting their libraries weekly, or daily – as this ban would require.
Do you see the utter ignorance and stupidity of this ban yet??????
Ok let’s talk about different classes within schools.
Schools are supposed to have second language studies, but regional schools struggle to get proficient and suitably qualified and experienced teachers to teach these subjects. Having the students backed up by programs like duolingo on screens helps alleviate the strain on already under staffed/equipped schools.
How about geography. Countries change constantly – their names, their borders etc – the introduction of online maps to learn geography was a godsend – no more printed outdated maps – and the money it costs to print those outdated materials.
How about music. Musical instruments cost money. Schools have had these programs defunded over the years. Some regional schools have a wondering music teacher or wandering specialist teacher for languages or other topics these days. To keep in contact with these teachers – many students have online lessons or use apps to study or learn music and other subjects…. It’s simply not available without that online content or teacher.
News has been taught in schools since I was in primary school decades ago – they used BTN (the ABC program “Behind the News”). Will banning screens also mean getting rid of this source of information and learning?
With universities not teaching specialist subjects like science and mathematics to our teachers appropriately or thoroughly – students need some way to back up what’s being taught – screens (whether you love or hate them) are a great source of instruction for any subject that a child is missing because of the lack in the teachers skills or knowledge. This is not a rebuke of teachers – this is a rebuke of universities, and a note that all people can know everything about every topic. You ban screens, you make a teachers life harder too – and you then must require better education and resources for those teachers. But this ban does come with more education or more resources.
Please tell me you see the stupidity in this ban now? Have I explained all the dumbassery of banning a tool that is inanimate and does not hold malice as it’s goal or intent? Have I explained enough about it harms all involved – not just students, but teachers, families and especially disabled children? Have I proven that this ban is not about learning – and only about bias and hatred of a tool – not about increasing help for teachers and students? If I haven’t I’m sorry… but that’s on you not me – if you can’t see that this ban is bad for all – your more pig headed and ignorant than I thought…. Good luck to you – and your future ignorant children. Sorry – not sorry…. But banning is never the answer to anything.