Schools in Japan to soon ban mobile phones

The Japanese government is likely to ban elementary and junior high school children from bringing their mobile phones to school following a recommendation from a panel. The government’s Meeting on Education Rebuilding has urged a ban on mobile phones in elementary and junior high schools, stressing the need for restrictions on children’s use of the phones. The group made the suggestion in a preliminary report on recommendations for children’s use of mobiles phones. It is seeking cooperation between parents and schools to prevent elementary and junior high school students from carrying cell phones, while also promoting phones that are restricted to verbal communication. The report says cell phones are unnecessary. In cases when they are used to ensure safety, filtering should be applied to prevent access to harmful sites, literacy education on the appropriate use of information should be stepped up, and rules on cell phone use should be made at home, the report advises.

It says that education boards should also create rules such as forbidding elementary and junior high school students from bringing mobile phones to school. The proposals will be put to the Prime Minister next month. The current Prime Minister is politically weakened now, so it is unlikely that the move would be approved in a hurry, as it would stir up a lot of controversy.
Source