School girls get creative when school confiscate smartphones
When trying something new, there's often resistance from a part of the
community at first. However, over time, things tend to fall into place
and work out for the best.
Banning smartphones from schools is likely to upset students, but it’s a regulation that many schools are adopting.
Smartphone-Free Childhood (SFC), South Africa's first-ever voluntary digital parent pact, has advocated for limiting children’s use of smartphones and social media until they enter high school.
This brings us to the topic of restricting smartphone use in high schools. Last year, students at Holy Rosary School for Girls in Edenvale, Johannesburg, were not impressed when their phones were confiscated.
But it seems their frowns didn't last that long. The absence of smartphones appeared to have a positive impact on the students.
According to News24,
the school noticed several positive outcomes from the initiative,
including "a crochet project with which the children raised R60 000, a
collection of new hobbies, and a visibly happier school".
Natalie Meerholz, headmistress of Holy Rosary School, explained that she realised they were heading for disaster if they didn’t address the impact of mobile phone use among young children.
It's been inspiring to see the snowball effect this school has had, influencing other schools to adopt a "no phones" approach as well.
Meerholz said, "WhatsApp is the worst because kids spend hours on it and get added to WhatsApp groups by people from anywhere in the world, exposing them to, among other things, pornography, racism, foul language, and defamation."
The project started at the school in February 2024 when the primary school kids were part of a 40-day mobile-free campaign. At first, students showed signs of irritation and boredom, but by the third week, things took a turn for the better.
Read more: 10 tips to make 2025 your best school year
The girls discovered hobbies, and teachers observed a noticeable improvement in their mental well-being. This led to an 80-day challenge, which included high school students.
Some students and teachers took up crocheting, which inspired a world record attempt last July with 600 people crocheting together at the same time.
While they didn't break the world record, Meerholz says the funds raised were donated to help cover heart surgeries for two children.
This is a perfect example of how sticking to a regulation that ultimately prioritises the student can produce positive results.
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