Sir,
The thought process behind allocating €9 million in the 2025 budget on mobile phone pouches is unclear. This action is taken at a time when a considerable number of grave issues are troubling not just children and young adults, but their parents as well. These problems encompass shortage of school admissions, inadequate internet safety education and significant lack of anticipatory and immediate support services, just to cite a few examples.
At the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC), children remain the central priority of all our initiatives. We stand firm in support of the national strategy aimed at encouraging the involvement of children and young adults in decision-making processes.
Currently, there’s an active strategy targeting different domains of children’s life: community, academics, health and well-being, and legal environments. In each of these sectors, children are warranted the right to voice their opinions that could affect their lives.
Unfortunately, it’s been an arduous task to pinpoint the children’s voice in this decision, but the Irish Second-Level Students’ Union (ISSU) has aired their viewpoint, which, regrettably, seems to have fallen on deaf ears.
Our educational sphere needs to adapt and focus on aiding children in safely and efficiently manoeuvring the digital world. This involves establishing safe and balanced relationships with the digital services and technologies that they employ.
Mobile phone pouches do indeed provide a solution, albeit an incomplete one. They imbue unnecessary pressure on schools when the emphasis should ideally be on actual teaching. Students indeed need a respite from constant phone usage and require an environment devoid of distractions to study efficiently. However, it would be far more beneficial to prepare them for a future that includes mobile phones rather than discouraging their use altogether.
A blanket ban would serve little purpose and may only heighten the allure of mobile phones. A meaningful implementation plan to manage phone use among young people should involve the larger society, involving parents, digital platforms, and young users to truly make a difference.
The provision of suitable resources for young individuals and kids is crucial for them to successfully navigate the rapidly changing digital world. Nothing is more central to this than proper education, instead of merely postponing solutions until the end of the school day. The funding for such initiatives is to be secured from the education budget. It may be worth considering investing this amount in online educational programmes, such as Webwise, sponsored by the Department of Education. In this regard, the Digital Ready Hub of ISPCC also provides much-needed support for parents and caregivers.
Ultimately, our objective should focus on arming children with adequate digital skills, preparing them to take on future roles in the digital society.
Best regards,
Fiona Jennings
Head of Policy and Public Affairs,
ISPCC
Galway