John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

120. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to provide details of any intentions within her Department to re-engage with primary schools on the ‘keeping childhood smartphone-free’ initiative for the 2025-26 academic year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31159/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The wellbeing of all learners is, and will continue to be, a key priority of the Department of Education, as well as the empowerment of parents and school communities through education and information. Online safety and the safe and ethical use of digital technologies is a key component of the Department’s Digital Strategy for Schools. The Strategy recognises that the education system must equip children and young people with the digital skills necessary in a digital world. Keeping children and young people safe as they navigate a digital world is extremely important.

Support and resources in the area of online safety and digital citizenship are provided by Webwise (www.webwise.ie). Webwise is the Irish Internet Safety Awareness Centre, and provides free information, advice and resources for schools, families and young people on online safety and digital citizenship. Webwise develops and disseminates free resources that help teachers integrate digital citizenship and online safety into teaching and learning in their schools. Webwise also provides information, advice, and tools to parents to support their engagement in their children’s online lives.

Webwise is funded by the Department of Education and Youth and co-funded through the European Commission and is part of the Irish Safer Internet Centre. The Irish Safer Internet Centre is a partnership of four leading organisations – Webwise, Hotline.ie, (www.ispcc.ie) and (www.npc.ie) - with a mission to make the Internet a better place for children and young people under the coordination of the Department of Justice.

Resources and training include the HTML Heroes programme for primary pupils aimed at developing critical thinking skills, finding reliable information, practising safe communication and more. Also, a new Digital Citizenship programme for 5th-6th class primary pupils is currently in development with the support of Coimisiún na Meán and will be available in early 2026. Free online courses are available for educators on digital citizenship, cyberbullying and online safety in the classroom.

It was with the wellbeing of learners in mind that my Department published guidelines in November 2023 for parents called Keeping Childhood Smartphone Free. These guidelines provide practical advice and suggestions to support parents and parent associations wishing to develop voluntary codes regarding smartphone use among primary school children. The aim is to support parents who wish to come together with their school community to explore and agree the best approach to mediate their children’s engagement with the online world through the use of a smartphone device, including adopting a voluntary code for their children to not have a smartphone until a certain point in time. Following the publication of the guidelines, a series of parent information sessions were held in various education centres throughout the country in relation to the smartphone guidelines and on online safety in general. A series of online webinars was also held. It is important to note that the guidelines support parents, but ultimately the onus is on parents themselves to develop a voluntary smartphone code within their school community.

Since the introduction of the Keeping Childhood Smartphone Free two further primary school initiatives have been launched and are currently ongoing – the “Digital Citizenship Champions” programme and the “Agree to Agree” pilot online safety initiative.

The “Digital Citizenship Champions” programme aims to equip primary teachers with essential knowledge, skills and resources to effectively teach and champion digital citizenship in schools and through their local Education Centre. 75 primary teachers who opted to participate in the programme have been trained to deliver a range of practical interactive workshops on digital citizenship under the programme. This programme will be expanded to increase capacity in the system, with a network of teachers to support the colleagues within schools, and through the education centre network across the country.

The “Agree to Agree” initiative, involving three education centres and 21 primary schools, will facilitate each participant school in collaborating, designing and implementing an Internet and Technology Use Agreement. It will also raise awareness of the ‘Keeping Childhood Smartphone Free’ guidelines and all the education resources available through Webwise.

With regard to mobile phone use in primary schools, you will be aware that In August 2024, the then Minister for Education wrote to all schools advising of a ban on the use of mobile phones during the school day. The letter noted that schools are best placed to determine the specific approach and policy required to achieve a school day that is free from mobile phone use by students and asked that schools consult with their students and parents in developing the approach that is best suited to their own circumstances. The ban on the use of mobile phones in primary schools is intended to address growing concerns including the potential for distraction during class time, the risk of accessing inappropriate content and cyberbullying, and the potential for decreased social interaction with peers. A circular letter to all schools is currently being finalised in my Department which will remind primary schools that they are required to implement this ban and will give guidance on implementing this requirement.