Students at Scotch Oakburn College are not allowed to have their mobile phones during class time - and the kids couldn't be happier.
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The school introduced a whole-grade blanket ban of mobile phones this year after extending an existing ban in place for students up to grade 8.
While initially not liking the sound of the plan, year 12 students Lily Fontyn and Ruben McCormack can now see the benefits of tucking their phones away.
"Naturally everyone was hesitant at first but now we've come to realise the change has been positive for us, it has improved our relationships and we are more focused in class," Miss Fontyn said.
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A ban on mobile phones during school times has been announced for all Victorian state schools from 2020.
While there are no plans to introduce a ban in Tasmania, some schools have imposed their own individual bans while the Education Department considers the recommendations from an independent NSW inquiry.
Mr McCormack said since the ban had been in place, he'd seen the campus become noisier during lunch and recess time because people were taking the time to talk to each other face-to-face.
"There's also a lot more activities, like sporting activities and clubs that happen now than before so there are more things to do during those times," he said.
Miss Fontyn said the school and her family had been encouraging her to understand when it was and wasn't appropriate times to use her phone.
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Both students said they felt more focused during class time and believed their academic performance had increased as a result of not using their mobile phones.
Scotch Oakburn principal Andy Mueller said the ban had been put in place after the school consulted with its school community and collected independent data and research evidence.
"We know through research that there is a direct link between how much screen time a young person gets and their levels of mental health. As a school, the health and wellbeing of our students are one of our priorities," he said.
Mr Mueller said phones could be a distraction for students so taking them away was a logical way to remove the temptation of that distraction.
He said since the introduction of the ban, students had been able to understand why and see the benefits for themselves.
The ban is for no personal use of mobile phones during class time and is monitored by teachers.
However, devices, such as laptops and iPads are still used during class to aid with learning.
Mr Mueller said the parent community had been fully supportive of the idea and could also see the benefits.