PETALING JAYA: As a debate on a smartphone ban on students under 16 intensifies, child advocates say real change depends on adult accountability and not just banning devices.<\/p>\n
Others point to global success stories of such a ban.<\/p>\n
Child activist Datuk Dr Hartini Zainudin said banning smartphones for those under 16 is the wrong fight.<\/p>\n
\u201cViolence in schools is not born from screens, but grows from neglect, silence and the absence of accountability.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen a child bullies, lashes out or collapses, it is not a sign of too much social media but a cry for help. A phone ban won\u2019t fix that,\u201d said Hartini, who is also the Yayasan Chow Kit founder.<\/p>\n
She said teachers should be free to notice, care and ask what\u2019s wrong instead of being bogged down with paperwork.<\/p>\n
\u201cTeachers are drowning in paperwork, rules and fear of blame. Empower, train and protect them. Every safe school begins with adults who are trusted and supported to act,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Parents too should listen and practise empathy.<\/p>\n
\u201cPut down your own screens. Children copy what they see, not what they are told.<\/p>\n
\u201cUntil adults do their jobs, the violence will simply move from the screen to the classroom and from silence to another child,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Early Childhood Care & Education Council Malaysia founding president Datuk Dr Chiam Heng Keng highlighted the importance of parents and adults serving as positive role models for their children.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe cooperation of parents is crucial to successfully discipline children in the use of electronic gadgets.<\/p>\n
\u201cParents play a vital role in guiding their children on the proper use of smartphones. Without their involvement, any measures taken will be ineffective in ensuring smartphones are used wisely.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is important that users control the device rather than allow the device to control them,\u201d she said, adding that banning smartphones would not resolve the increasing violence among teenagers.<\/p>\n
Chiam noted that these days, it is common to see families dining in restaurants where young children are occupied with tablets during meals.<\/p>\n
\u201cSmartphones have became a part of our daily lives. In hospitals and clinics, parents frequently hand electronic gadgets to children to keep them quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cTherefore, the use of gadgets in dining areas, restaurants, clinics and hospitals should be restricted.<\/p>\n
\u201cSmartphones should only be allowed from age 13, provided parents are confident that their teenagers are well-guided and disciplined in their usage,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said the proposal to ban smartphones in schools \u201creflects the serious worries about aggressive behaviour, bullying and violence we\u2019re witnessing\u201d.<\/p>\n
She noted the potential benefits of reducing social media and online gaming distractions during school hours but cautioned: \u201cIf the ban is enforced without clear boundaries \u2013 specific times, places and uses, it could be unfair and hard to manage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Noor Azimah emphasised the need for a comprehensive approach.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ban should be paired with teaching digital responsibility, enhancing mental health support, and ensuring students have safe spaces where they feel supported, not just monitored,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Supporting the ban, Childline Foundation executive director Datin Wong Poai Hong highlighted how countries such as France, China and South Korea have seen improved focus and behaviour after restricting phone use among children.<\/p>\n
\u201cOther countries have done it, and the results have been amazing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Melaka Action Group for Parents in Education chairman Mak Chee Kin proposed better control over social media apps, online games and pornographic content instead of a total ban.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe onus is on parents too. There must be responsible monitoring and leadership by example,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PETALING JAYA: As a debate on a smartphone ban on students under 16 intensifies, child advocates say real…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":220908,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[106209,49,48,106214,106210,43772,190,106213,106215,106212,27661,106208,61,106211],"class_list":["post-220907","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mobile","tag-adult-accountability","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-digital-responsibility","tag-global-success-stories","tag-mental-health-support","tag-mobile","tag-positive-guidance","tag-responsible-monitoring","tag-role-models","tag-smartphone-ban","tag-students-under-16","tag-technology","tag-violence-in-schools"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220907","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=220907"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220907\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/220908"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=220907"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=220907"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=220907"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}