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France Bans Smartphones in School (washingtonpost.com)

When French students return to school in September they'll have to leave one of their most prized possessions at home -- their smartphone. From a report: French lawmakers on Monday passed legislation banning students as old as 15 from bringing smartphones and tablets to school or having them turned off at least, according to the Agence France-Presse. Officials in support of the new rule described the policy as a way to shield children from addictive habits and to safeguard the sanctity of the classroom. "We know today that there is a phenomenon of screen addiction, the phenomenon of bad mobile phone use," education minister Jean-Michel Blanquer told French news channel BFMTV, according to CNN. "Our main role is to protect children and adolescents. It is a fundamental role of education, and this law allows it." The law, however, does make exceptions for educational use, extra-curricular actives and for students with disabilities, the AFP reports. French high schools can choose to impose a less stringent ban on Internet-connected devices.

161 comments

  1. safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by Opportunist · · Score: 0

    Have these people set a foot in a school recently?

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    1. Re: safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You may be confused, this is France, not America, where the public schools are a mix of shooting gallery, drug den, drone factory and whorehouse, and the private schools are filled with religious indoctrination to make the next generation of arrows for Jesus.

    2. Re:safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      France can see what other nations attempted with
      laptops.
      desktops.
      GUI robots.
      The "internet".
      The USA put so much money into every school and per student. The test results stayed the same for decades in the USA. With all the new support and more tax spending.
      More tax to pay for more support for education did not result in smarter students from the 1980's and beyond.

      France tried that with its MO5, T07 computers.

      Remove the distractions and focus on merit. Pass exams and see what education in France can do.
      More and more technology spending did not allow France, the UK to become leaders with computers for all. The (Plan informatique pour tous) idea of computers for all and good jobs making new educational computers in France.

      Get back to education and remove the mobile phone distractions.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    3. Re:safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Have you stepped foot in a French school recently?

    4. Re: safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by GregMmm · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      Thank goodness this is not France. You can keep your issues you create in France. Specifically like making law to not use cell phones. Yup, that will really change addictive behaviors. Make a law. Always changes everything. Not actually dealing with the problem of teaching kids (and adults for that matter) about addictive behaviors and how to deal with them. That's too much work.

      By the way, thanks for pointing out all the imperfections of our education system. I'm sure "Frances" glass house if perfect and has no problems what so ever.

    5. Re: safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, this law grants the authority for those running the schools to teach an important aspect of "addiction" namely avoiding the problematic element.

      I know somebody like yourself has little conception of the idea, but restraint and control are very important in life, as people who can't figure out moderation harm themselves with licentatious excess.

    6. Re: safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You should have posted under your actual login.

      Taking shots at Christians is a great way to get karma these days on /.

    7. Re:safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Of course he hasn't. He's just another typical american keyboard warrior who's never lived, or even travelled, more than 50 miles from where he was born, but thinks he knows everything about the rest of the world because he read it all on The InterWebs.

    8. Re: safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you believe the US education system is the best in the world, you are an idiot. If you believe rules for children make no difference, you are an uneducated idiot. Or perhaps you are simply living your pre-marriage/pre-child life and have not learned to distinguish between wisdom and the current trends of your peers.

      BTW, I was born and live in the US. I raised children and attended public school. I have friends and family who are teachers in public school as well. I've seen both rural environments as well as big city schools.

      When you take the rules and discipline out of school, you have a big mess.

    9. Re:safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by whitroth · · Score: 1

      Yes. Why do you *think* they're banning them?

    10. Re: safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You should have posted under your actual login.

      Taking shots at Christians is a great way to get karma these days on /.

      Now now lets be a little bit more discerning ok ?
      Evangelical Christians are shit (They're the equivalent of religious zealots or radicals). They're fake christians. It's no wonder they've taken ahold in the US of A. Makes sense really when you think the English in the 16-17th century had the good thinking of trying to get rid of all those pesky religious zealots. Guess where they went ? Yep the good ol' american continent.
      Roman Catholics and Anglican Protestants are a different breed though.

    11. Re:safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Because they're politicians and want to be seen as if they're "doing something" to address some issue, no matter whether that actually addresses the issue?

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    12. Re:safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by Opportunist · · Score: 5, Funny

      Look, I can deal with all kinds of insults. Call me a pinko Commie or a Nazi, call me a fag or a redneck, I can deal with pretty much anything.

      But calling me American is really uncalled for. What have I done to deserve that?

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    13. Re:safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Yes. Unfortunately. And let's be blunt here, cellphones ain't the problem.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    14. Re: safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      persecution complex detected

    15. Re:safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I wouldn't go to France.

    16. Re: safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by phantomfive · · Score: 1

      Would you say they are...... Opportunists?

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    17. Re: safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      clearly a product of American education system.

    18. Re:safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by GrahamJ · · Score: 3, Funny

      There are not enough mod points in the world for this post :D

    19. Re: safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      in soviet america, we will try throwing more guns at the problem, surely at some point the guns will be safe from harm.

    20. Re:safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by GrahamJ · · Score: 1

      Exactly. If your kid is doing homework in front of the TV and not getting much done, what do you do? You turn off the TV.

      Removing distractions and devices which are, at best, not needed for school is a great way to help students focus on what they're there to do.

    21. Re: safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by pr0fessor · · Score: 0

      France doesn't make the top ten list for countries with the best educational systems, but removing distraction from the classroom isn't a bad idea. Addictive behavior is studied in health class, but schools are not treatment facilities.

      I wouldn't mind seeing this implemented in the US but it doesn't need to be many schools don't allow cell phones in class already. I know they don't here and when my son complained about it I told him there was no valid reasons for him to have access to his phone in class because all he would be doing is reading/posting on facebook.

    22. Re: safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by Solandri · · Score: 3, Insightful

      A student is more likely to be killed by a deer than by a school shooting at a U.S. school (ignore the dumb up-voted reply who doesn't realize that fatality rates are comparable between different population sizes). The whole school shooting "epidemic" is a fabrication by the news media (who are mostly pro-gun control). 3x more students die from complications due to pregnancy and childbirth than from school shootings. Why aren't there 3x as many news stories about the evils of teen pregnancy?

      The biggest threat of death facing students is car accidents. That's followed by suicide - usually from bullying. That's over 100x as common as death from school shootings. France's suicide statistics are similar to the U.S., so it's not unreasonable to think their student suicide rate is similar. And smartphones and social media are one of the primary methods now used by students to bully each other.

    23. Re: safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I wish I could upvote this! Bullying is horrendous in schools and with the idiotic 'zero tolerance' rules where you punish the person bullied equally with the Bully, you just make it WORSE!

    24. Re: safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why aren't there 3x as many news stories about the evils of teen pregnancy?

      Because in the US, the teen pregnancy rate is dropping, and is at a record low, while the overall problem of mortality in childbirth is growing so intelligent people recognize where to focus their attention.

      Seriously, Solandri, did you not know the facts before running your mouth?

      https://www.cdc.gov/teenpregnancy/about/index.htm

      https://www.npr.org/2018/03/11/592272083/many-women-come-close-to-death-in-childbirth

      Or maybe you just have an agenda so you don't think anybody will check you out.

    25. Re:safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And yet... Where are the great french entrepreneurs and innovators? The US has plenty. Little Israel has more pro capita. All of Europe put together... Nada. Just taxes. ;)

    26. Re:safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      What's wrong with living a reasonably happy, but not innovative, life, anyway? Why should everything be about rush-rush-rush, run like a rat on a wheel, constant change and turmoil?

      But to answer your question... let's see: CRISPR was pioneered in France, high-speed trains, nuclear reactors capable of load-following, basic nuclear physics research (LHC is on the Swiss-French border). Not all innovations involve the Internet or mobile phone fart apps.

    27. Re: safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by rogoshen1 · · Score: 1

      helicopter parents would howl in outrage as they wouldn't be able to nag/stalk their kid on a minute by minute basis.

      how on earth did the human race ever survive without constant telemetry of our kids?

    28. Re: safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by pr0fessor · · Score: 1

      I didn't get my first cell phone until I was in my 20s and it wasn't even close to a smart phone. My parents still somehow knew when I was out getting into trouble and I have never relied on a cell phone to let me keep track of my kids as a matter of fact they didn't get a smart phone until they paid for it themselves.

    29. Re: safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by datavirtue · · Score: 1

      Sending my son to a Christian private school...no one talks about the Bible or anything. It is a marketing thing that will slowly fade. they have a serious science program too. The kids would probably burn them at the stake for spouting a creationist curriculum.

      --
      I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
    30. Re:safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 1

      And yet... Where are the great french entrepreneurs and innovators?

      France was a tech leader back when we appointed Ben Franklin as the first ambassador, and it's just as much as a tech leader now that it has the carbon-free economy that no other country even plans to achieve this century.

    31. Re:safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "(LHC is on the Swiss-French border)."

      Ah, the place where the worldwide web and its language was invented?
      Cool!

    32. Re:safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      Yep. CERN! Though the actual institute is on the Swiss side, not the French.

    33. Re: safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      I'd call them populists.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    34. Re: safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by quenda · · Score: 2

      And smartphones and social media are one of the primary methods now used by students to bully each other.

      Cellphones don't bully. People do.

      It's not that we want to ban phones. They are useful tools, a heck of a lot of fun, and can save you in an emergency.
      Along with the benefits, we should recognise the harm done by phones. Sure, they are far from the biggest killer, but somehow our country seems to have a unique problem with them, at least among civilised nations. Thousands of deaths are not to be ignored just because it is less deadly than cancer or road transport.

          So how can we continue to get the benefits, while reducing the harm? Surely there must be some measures that cellphone users can accept, even though it limits their freedom? Nobody wants to allow cellphone use in cinemas. Can we all agree on that? And nobody wants to ban cellphones. So we are really only debating over the degree of restriction.

      How can we maximise the benefits, including entertainment, while curtailing the deaths a little? I love Angry Birds, but I don't want to risk leaving my screen unlocked so my toddler might find it when I'm not watching.

    35. Re:safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by dryeo · · Score: 1

      You're sig references something that is usually considered American.

      --
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverted_totalitarianism
    36. Re: safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by Peter+P+Peters · · Score: 1

      A student is more likely to be killed by a deer than by a school shooting at a U.S. school

      Bad maths. How many deer are there at US schools?
      Can I choose to go to a school that doesn't have deer thereby eliminating this risk altogether?

    37. Re:safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      Yes France tried all that into the 1980's. Huge educational push for new French computers for education.
      All that did was bring in computer system and software imports from the UK, USA.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    38. Re: safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Abstinence works."

      Do not bother debating with Americans, it is utterly futile and a complete waste of time too as their power has shrunk to, at best, regional levels.

    39. Re: safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because having young kids _murder_ eachother Every Fucking Week, is a big fucking problem. WTF is wrong with Americans.

    40. Re:safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      You're sig

      No he isn't.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    41. Re: safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      A student is more likely to be killed by a deer

      A completely stupid comparison given the risk of death by deer is avoidable and entirely in control of the person being (not) killed. Unless you're suggesting that kids in classrooms get randomly visited by savage deers leaving a bloodbath in its wake.

      Don't abuse statistics. There is a big difference between dying due to your action, and dying randomly while doing a mandatory societal activity due to cultural stupidity.

    42. Re:safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Mostly because this is a US-centric site and if I made a snide comment about the situation over here in Europe, people overseas would not get it.

      People in Europe usually do know a bit about the US, at least when they spend time on US-centric sites, so the joke is internationally understandable.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    43. Re: safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by mjwx · · Score: 1

      Ahhh, lying by statistics I see.

      I note that it was 120 Americans killed by deer IN ALL AGE GROUPS. In 2015, 425 Americans in all age groups were killed in mass shootings, over 13,000 died by gunshot wound (I'll admit this figure includes accidents).

      Oh, but you wanted us to ignore the person who pointed this out... because it invalidates your theory.

      Thus far this year, 40 people have been killed in school shootings. We're not talking about freak accidents involving an elk on the road here (which is how most of them occur, so actual cause of death is MVA), we're talking deliberate and premeditated attacks that dont seem to occur in other countries. Its time to admit that your society's attitude towards firearms is horribly broken and dead kids will keep happening until your society decides to do something about it.

      --
      Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
    44. Re: safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by catprog · · Score: 1

      Did you happen to use pay phones?

      --
      My Transformation Website
      Kindle Books http://www.catprog.org/rev
      Interactive CYOA http://www.catprog.org/st
    45. Re: safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by pr0fessor · · Score: 1

      Yes where you make the collect call and instead of recording your name it's a rushed "I'm at... Come pick me up"

    46. Re: safeguard the sanctity of the classroom? by catprog · · Score: 1

      Point was, cell phones have led to many of the pay phones being removed.

      --
      My Transformation Website
      Kindle Books http://www.catprog.org/rev
      Interactive CYOA http://www.catprog.org/st
  2. Think of the children! by OffTheLip · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Oh wait, they are.

    1. Re:Think of the children! by DickBreath · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Are they really thinking of the children? How will kids call their parents when a shooter with automatic weapons bursts into the school? For something that happens maybe several times per year, this seems rather short sighted.

      Oh, wait. It's France.

      --

      I'll see your senator, and I'll raise you two judges.
    2. Re:Think of the children! by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      Even in the US, you're more likely to be hit by a car on the way home from school than encounter a spree shooter.

    3. Re:Think of the children! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well the entire country of France is a shithole no-go zone with a insane radical muslims patrolling every street and attacking women who dont cover there hair it cant get any the worse?

    4. Re:Think of the children! by Luckyo · · Score: 1

      Charlie Hebdo. Main difference in France is that men in question have actual automatic weapons, rather than imaginary automatics that are used in US.

      Hint: the so called "assault weapons" that are commonly used in school shootings are semi-automatic. Getting an automatic weapon in US is much harder than France. It's extremely difficult to get a legal automatic weapon in US and you'll be monitored by ATF constantly if you get one. The rights ATF gets to help them monitor you if you're a registered owner of an automatic weapon are utterly draconian. Illegal market is highly dangerous to access because of ATF. France on the other hand is suffering from the Balkan problem. Continental Europe is still awash in illegal automatic weaponry from Yugoslav war, passed through networks of Kosovar mafia which has spread across the continent, and there's no real unified continent-wide response like ATF can produce in US to counteract it.

    5. Re:Think of the children! by Cyberax · · Score: 1

      My friend got an AK-74. A fully automatic one, with only a cursory background check. He lived in Virginia before dying in a parachute accident.

    6. Re:Think of the children! by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 2

      Are they really thinking of the children? How will kids call their parents when a shooter with automatic weapons bursts into the school? For something that happens maybe several times per year, this seems rather short sighted.

      Oh, wait. It's France.

      Even if France were to go completely insane and adopt ridiculous American style wild-west gun laws; I doubt kids calling their parents would help much in a shooter situation. As long as teachers have phones, someone can call the authorities- which frankly is more important than kids calling their mother .

      --
      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
    7. Re:Think of the children! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well the entire country of France is a shithole no-go zone with a insane radical muslims patrolling every street and attacking women who dont cover there hair it cant get any the worse?

      Wow. Every street? We must have been VERY lucky not to have encounter any of them in our extensive trips to France. I'll have make sure my wife covers her hair in future, plus hand out flyers to the (tens of) thousands of other women we passed similarly uncovered (yes, we used the metro so you see a lot of people).

      OTOH, I can't visit a simple website without encountering stupid trolls who spout absolute nonsense because ... well, actually I really don't understand why. Is it funny to put stupidity on public display? Or perhaps the people I'm calling trolls are actually insane & believe the rubbish they're posting.

    8. Re:Think of the children! by LordWabbit2 · · Score: 0

      No, just certain neighborhoods, I am sure you have the same problem in the USA. You know, where it's dangerous to go. You racial prejudice is showing, although I hope it's mostly due to typical American stupidity.

      --
      There are three kinds of falsehood: the first is a 'fib,' the second is a downright lie, and the third is statistics.
    9. Re:Think of the children! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I went to school before cell phones were a "thing." Every classroom had a phone in it that could be used to call 911.

      Why would you want the kids calling their parents, if they call anyone it should be the emergency police line. They can do that from the class phone.

    10. Re:Think of the children! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      we are working on that statistic, clearly we need to maga even more.

    11. Re:Think of the children! by Train0987 · · Score: 1

      No he didn't, not fully automatic. The background checks for Class 3 licenses are extensive and take upwards of a year. Not to mention the costs. A legal full-auto AK will cost more than $20k.

    12. Re:Think of the children! by Obfuscant · · Score: 1

      How will kids call their parents when a shooter with automatic weapons bursts into the school?

      Why would you expect them to? What do you expect Dad to do if Junior calls to tell him there is a shooter in the school? Drop what he's doing, pull the AK47 out of the closet, and run down to the school to help? No, Dad would just be in the way, and more likely to get shot by the first responders as he walks in the door carrying a gun fifteen minutes after it is all over.

      Junior is better served by paying attention to what is happening around him and protecting himself than in calling Dad or Mom for help. It's hard to Run, Hide, or Fight if one is busy calling Mommy and Daddy to complain about the situation.

      AFTER it is all over, the school can call all the parents.

      For something that happens maybe several times per year,

      If your kid goes to a school with active shooter incidents several times per year, perhaps you ought to move. There aren't any such schools, at least in the US, so stop worrying. Is this an issue in France?

    13. Re:Think of the children! by mark-t · · Score: 1

      How will kids call their parents when a shooter with automatic weapons bursts into the school?

      The answer is obvious... bring the phone to school, but leave it off or in airplane mode so that it can't receive any unexpected messages.... if one is only ever pulling out their phone in an emergency situation, then there wouldn't be any issue.

    14. Re:Think of the children! by judoguy · · Score: 1

      Are they really thinking of the children? How will kids call their parents when a shooter with automatic weapons bursts into the school? For something that happens maybe several times per year, this seems rather short sighted. Oh, wait. It's France.

      It's never happened in America either. Not once has anyone shot up a school with an automatic weapon or anywhere else for that matter..

      --
      Peace is easy to achieve, just surrender. Liberty is much harder get/keep.
    15. Re:Think of the children! by Luckyo · · Score: 1

      If he got AK-74 with a "cursory background check", he's committing a felony across entirety of US. Federal law specifically requires class 3 license for an automatic firearm that was made up to 1986, which requires lengthy and complex INVESTIGATION (note - not just a check, but an actual investigation) by ATF. These last around a year on average, and ATF can refuse this license/revoke already granted license at its leisure.

      Anything made post 1986, and it's just plain illegal to own for a civilian, period.

    16. Re:Think of the children! by Luckyo · · Score: 1

      Obvious caveat: I was talking about automatic AK-74. Semi-automatic is a completely different story, which was the entirety of my earlier point.

    17. Re:Think of the children! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > How will kids call their parents when a shooter with automatic weapons bursts into the school?

      Your joke aside, there's not a fucking thing parents will be able to do about a shooter. All you're going to do is get people rushing to the school and get in the way of people who can actually be useful in responding to that situation. Between the school's teachers and administration, there's plenty of other people who can call emergency services and you don't have to rely on kids to do that. On rely on kids to call their (now) panic-stricken parents to do that.

      Just like the card in my wallet that says "in case of emergency, call ____________": I always write "911", because there's not a damn thing my parents, friends or family can do. Call a doctor first. Informing anyone else know I'm in hospital can wait.

    18. Re:Think of the children! by Cyberax · · Score: 1

      Yes he did. Virginia allows automatic weapon possession with only minor permit requirements: http://lawcenter.giffords.org/... It's difficult to transport them across the state but as long as you stay inside the state it's fine.

    19. Re:Think of the children! by Luckyo · · Score: 1

      Which is wholly irrelevant, because every single state that allows automatic weapons possession requires that possessor meets all federal law obligations.

    20. Re:Think of the children! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are they really thinking of the children? How will kids call their parents when a shooter with automatic weapons bursts into the school? For something that happens maybe several times per year, this seems rather short sighted.

      And how did they call their parents when they had a flip phone? Oh wait, it is a flip phone. If parents can afford to give them a smart phone, they should be able to afford a flip phone too. Your reasoning is just an excuse.

    21. Re:Think of the children! by quanminoan · · Score: 1

      Considering the best advice if you're hiding is to mute or turn off your phone, likely having these could lead to *more* casualties.

    22. Re:Think of the children! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      " A legal full-auto AK will cost more than $20k."

      For $10k you get a metal 3d printer that's able to print as many as you want.

    23. Re:Think of the children! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Which will promptly jam, and probably explode in your hands, after only a few shots (and maybe even on the first one) because sintered metal doesn't have the strength to contain the pressure of exploding gunpowder without deforming, cracking, and disintegrating.

      3D-printed guns are just the latest mythical boogeyman they're trying to scare you with. They're a curiosity at best, but they're pretty useless. (As a firearm, anyway. I suppose in a pinch, they'd make a decent club to hit someone over the head with, but that's about it.) I sure as hell wouldn't fire one.

    24. Re:Think of the children! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That just means Virginia doesn't impose any major additional restrictions or licensing requirements of its own on top of the Federal restrictions, not that there are no restrictions in Virginia at all. Luckyo is correct; if your friend bought a full-auto AK-74 without going through the ATF's background check for a class-3 license, then both he and the seller broke Federal law regardless of whatever restrictions or background checks the state of Virginia may or may not have required. If he did possess a Class-3 license already, then Virginia's background checks (or lack thereof) are also irrelevant, since the requirements to get a Class-3 license are far more strict than anything the state would have done.

    25. Re:Think of the children! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Las Vegas

    26. Re:Think of the children! by Peter+P+Peters · · Score: 1

      Even in the US, you're more likely to be hit by a car on the way home from school than encounter a spree shooter.

      That sure makes me feel better about being shot. As long as car accidents are worse we should just never do anything about it...

    27. Re:Think of the children! by Obfuscant · · Score: 1

      Las Vegas

      Las Vegas what? I google for "school shooting las vegas" and find nothing relevant.

      What school in Las Vegas had a shooter with an automatic weapon? Cite a link.

    28. Re:Think of the children! by dddux · · Score: 1

      They are not banning them completely. You can have a smartphone, but it should be turned off. That's all.

      --
      "It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." - Jiddu Krishnamurti
  3. Good... by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Much better to take notes on dead trees -- aside from the usual distractions, too easy to get sucked down a rabbit hole of searches about something which the professors said which you found interesting. Save the tablet/phone for after class.

    If you can't detach for a few hours, you're addicted.

    1. Re:Good... by DickBreath · · Score: 1

      FTFY: If you can't detach for a few hours, you're a good loyal source of ad revenue and personal information.

      --

      I'll see your senator, and I'll raise you two judges.
    2. Re:Good... by tepples · · Score: 1

      Then what should occupy a student while the student is sitting quietly between the end of the lecture and the end of the class period?

    3. Re: Good... by houghi · · Score: 1

      I was lousy using dead trees. I am wondering how much worse I would have been with a phone. Yes, I was easily distracted, no I do not have ACDC, or whatever they call kids that like to run and be distractef. (We call themm kids. Yes I know YOU are correctly diagnozed.)

      Having a window was distraction for me. Some teachers where able to chalange me and I thank them for that. A phone would have made it much harder.

      For those that disagree: peope rather look at their phone and kill somebody than drive. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=...

      --
      Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
    4. Re:Good... by parkinglot777 · · Score: 1

      Then what should occupy a student while the student is sitting quietly between the end of the lecture and the end of the class period?

      Study? Or walk around the school as a type of exercise? Or just sit quietly and prepare for the next class? It's not that long time (5-10 minutes) to control yourself. I did that when I went to school. Stop giving excuses.

    5. Re:Good... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Then what should occupy a student while the student is sitting quietly between the end of the lecture and the end of the class period?

      Their own thoughts? Why are people SO AFRAID to be left alone with their own thoughts? Why does there need to be a constant drip of stimulation? Personally I love having just a good solid 30 minutes where I'm left without any interruptions to just THINK. Let your mind wander a bit. You might be surprised where it ends up.

  4. Solving the problem, or solving the symptom? by ckatko · · Score: 1

    Symptom: Kids are on their phones.

    Problem: Because school is designed by, and for, idiots, with no regard for biology or psychology. Every child is treated like a rote learning "I can absorb information while sitting in a chair while you spout off dry lists of facts while you scold me for not rigidly adhering to your desire for me to remain quiet and motionless."

    There are plenty of ways to learn. Learning by doing (people who learn WAY more in the labs than the classes). People who learn through physical memorization (this magical thing called "dancer") and more.

    If your kids aren't learning it's two reasons: 1 - Shitty parents. 2 - Shitty teaching. Kids are BIOLOGICALLY designed to be knowledge sponges--that's the entire purpose of growing up. So if you're not getting the desired result, it's because you designed "the system" wrong.

    William Edwards Deming said "95% of line-level worker problems, are the direct result of top-level management decisions."

    So here we are, trying to blame cellphones for being too distracting. But the question is, why the hell is school so boring that kids WANT to learn from their phones instead?

    Ever been in a technical lab? Huge equipment, wires running everywhere. Cool sounds going off. Microscopes that let you see literally down to the atomic level. You think anyone (or at least the majority of kids) give two shits about a YouTube video or text message, when they could be, say, climbing on a tank? And learning how a tank works and hearing the engine roar to life?

    1. Re:Solving the problem, or solving the symptom? by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      But to actually design and build said tank, you need math and physics, both of which tend to be "dry", stuffy, and learned in a classroom.

    2. Re:Solving the problem, or solving the symptom? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So wait a minute... You're saying that the reason kids can't put down their smartphones is because they're learning math and science with it? Silly me. I thought they were goofing off.

    3. Re:Solving the problem, or solving the symptom? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Pretty much this. The only good thing I can say about schools up to university level is that they didn't got more in the way of my education than they absolutely had to.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    4. Re:Solving the problem, or solving the symptom? by ausekilis · · Score: 1

      Symptom: Kids are on their phones (playing games and/or worrying about why they didn't get a 'Like')

      There's much more wrong than 'screen time'. Our society pushes image and celebrity down everyone's throat. We value athletes, reality stars and 'likes' more than intelligence, accomplishment, and being yourself. There isn't any "learning" from their cell phone, it's all in a pursuit of instant stimulus and gratification. Small children would rather play dress-up or build a virtual cake than recite their ABC's. Older children would rather BS with friends or pursue likes than work toward some goal. You can blame parenting, but there is a huge societal component too.

      I've known a number of really bright kids that love to learn about the world around them, but as soon as a screen is on the rest of the world disappears. Remove the screen, and they will gladly go back to playing with puzzles, building with Legos, or whatever. It's not realistic to expect every kid to love every subject, so naturally there are going to be things that are boring to some and exciting to others.

      If you have some way to make boring subjects exciting (and safe) for the 5-15 year olds out there while getting them to the same level of understanding, you're sitting on a gold mine.

    5. Re: Solving the problem, or solving the symptom? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Problem: Because school is designed by, and for, idiots, with no regard for biology or psychology. Every child is treated like a rote learning "I can absorb information while sitting in a chair while you spout off dry lists of facts while you scold me for not rigidly adhering to your desire for me to remain quiet and motionless."

      There are plenty of ways to learn. Learning by doing (people who learn WAY more in the labs than the classes). People who learn through physical memorization (this magical thing called "dancer") and more.

      They've heard of the Montessori system in France too.

    6. Re:Solving the problem, or solving the symptom? by Jfetjunky · · Score: 1

      Yup. There are definitely things that can be learned more "hands-on" and probably made more interesting. However, learning many technically difficult subjects which might include facets of math, physics, etc sometimes requires you just sit down, pay attention, and put the work in. The best hope you can is to connect it with real life applications or analogies, in hopes to make students find it more useful or intriguing rather than just numbers on a paper. (or screen? man I'm getting old...)

      It's tedious sometimes. Sometimes it feels like it kinda sucks. But that's life. Not everything gets to be fun. I feel like people forget this more and more every day. Absolutely no reason you shouldn't try to work towards maximizing your enjoyment of anything you do. Hobby, work, whatever. But pretending all of it should be riveting and attention grabbing is just nonsense. Sometimes it takes dedication to see something through.

    7. Re:Solving the problem, or solving the symptom? by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Most kids would rather be on a cell phone playing games than ANY education method- fun or not.

      I'm not saying a diversity of teaching techniques and hands on learning isn't useful- it clearly is a good idea; but the phones should be banned too. The two ideas are not mutually exclusive.

      --
      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
    8. Re:Solving the problem, or solving the symptom? by GrahamJ · · Score: 1

      I agree with your sentiment - it's true that kids are knowledge sponges. The problem is they have little self-control. It's hard enough for adults to resist checking their phone a hundred times a day. Kids just can't do it, and that has a direct impact on whatever else they're supposed to be doing.

      Their phones need to stay home.

    9. Re:Solving the problem, or solving the symptom? by LordWabbit2 · · Score: 1

      They are too distracting. Just go to a family restaurant and see everyone on their fucking phones. Supposedly that's in an environment where there are no dry and boring lessons. Go to a bus stop and everyone waiting has their head bent down to their cellphones. They have had to put fucking stop signs and traffic lights in the pavements to stop people accidentally killing themselves. I would say that's a problem. Now we put those same devices in schools and you serious expect children to pay attention?

      --
      There are three kinds of falsehood: the first is a 'fib,' the second is a downright lie, and the third is statistics.
    10. Re:Solving the problem, or solving the symptom? by apoc.famine · · Score: 1

      Having taught and having a few college degrees in different subjects under my belt, including an education degree, I concur entirely.

      There is no "fun" way to learn calculus. Sure, you can use it to solve interesting problems, but the raw mechanics of calc and differential equations aren't things you can master by doing anything other than rote work. Sure, you can potentially teach the underlying concepts in an interesting and fun way, but there's a wide gulf between understanding what something does or how it works and actually being able to do it yourself. To bridge that gulf you often need dedication and perseverance and the willingness to endure a whole lot of suck in the process.

      That said, all too often teachers think that everything needs to be constructed like that, or that nothing does. I've seen more of the former, but I have seen some of the latter. I once had a professor who claimed that you could learn math without numbers. That everything in math could be learned conceptually. After some pushing back on my part, including asking how they would explain ratios or slopes without numbers, they finally admitted that the last math they took was Algebra 2 thirty years prior, and that they had failed it.

      At the other end, we have all the professors who just stand in front of a class and drone on and on, assuming that the students are "empty vessels" waiting to be filled. That everything will make sense to them if they just pay attention, memorize everything, and do hundreds of problems for homework.

      We need a good balance in teaching, and teachers, students, and especially parents need to understand that. Right tool for the right job and all.

      --
      Velociraptor = Distiraptor / Timeraptor
    11. Re:Solving the problem, or solving the symptom? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      have you SEEN kids these days? because i don't think you have. they're lazy, they're trouble makers, they're mean and vindictive, they're more worried about likes and snaps, and about being the first one to 'break the news' about some stupid shit some kid did, than they are about the class they're in at that very moment. the only way to get kids off their damn phones in school and focus on class is to separate kid from device.

      getting rid of students' phones is crucial to success in any classroom. hats off to france for having the balls to do it.

      previous generations excelled in school without the internet in their pocket and because of that lack of internet and distraction, they were truly the 'knowledge sponges' you wrongly believe kids are today.

    12. Re:Solving the problem, or solving the symptom? by UnknownSoldier · · Score: 1

      > There is no "fun" way to learn calculus.

      Bullshit. Go read A Mathematician's Lament

      First off, having one teacher for ~30 students is an absolutely shitty way to teach. The fast learners are bored while they wait for the rest of the class. The slow learners are always struggling as they try to understand concepts. The best kind of teaching is one on one, self-directed learning.

      When I was in high school one of my classmates was struggling to get 50% in Trigonometry. I spent one hour with him and he got 80% on the next test. The teacher thought he cheated until I said I tutored him. He was NOT stupid -- he just learnt a DIFFERENT way from HOW the teacher was teaching. A good teacher MUST use different ways of learning: Algebraic, Visual, Tactile, Auditory. The focus is HEAVY on symbol manipulation with some visual learning, and almost zero tactile or auditory modalities of learning.

      The fact that Music is not a required course shows how brain-dead the education system is. Music and Mathematics go together like a ball and glove. So what happens? We neuter Mathematics and then wonder why the kids are bored out of their fucking minds. Gee, lets ignore 80% of the OTHER fun ways to learn.

      Kids used to learn cyclic addition aka Number Theory's modular arithmetic when they were taught how to read an analog clock. No one ever stopped to tell them that they were doing advanced math. Gee, who knew!

      Calculus is differentiation (sub-dividing things into infinitesimals) and integration (summing infinitesimals up) -- it isn't rocket science. The secret to teaching all mathematics is make it _engaging._ You can make a game out of ANYTHING. But that involves work -- and teachers don't have time to prepare for that. Their schedule is already over-loaded -- they don't have time to personalize and individualize learning because we don't value it and give the excuse that we can't afford it. But yet we can make missiles that cost a million each. Our financial priories are completely fucked up so we are left with a crap teaching modality.

      > but the raw mechanics of calc and differential equations aren't things you can master by doing anything other than rote work

      Again bullshit. That's because that is used as a Litmus test to tell if the students know how to _apply_ the concepts. Having students repeat mind-numbering, boring, exercises is the symptom of a shitty teaching methodology. That's not to say "practice" is bad, but practice for practice sake is stupid. The difference is musicians and great teachers know: perfect practice makes perfect. You need to be practicing the _right_ things. Doing the same set of dumb exercises over and over doesn't teach kids critical thinking -- only formulaic, no-original-thought, regurgitated memorization.

      When you engage students one on one, and go at _their_ pace, they are able to learn, and apply, FAR faster more then the traditional, indoctrination, mode of "teaching".

      If learning isn't fun -- then you are doing it wrong.

    13. Re:Solving the problem, or solving the symptom? by datavirtue · · Score: 1

      Hell, just trying to design a system is enough to fail miserably. We home-schooled my son and didn't do anything structured...he picked up everything he needed to know. He wanted to go to school after being out for years so he dropped right back in without missing a beat. He realized the amount of drama and stupidity that was ensuing each day and wanted back out. Back to home school for a while, tried to force him into algebra and other stuff...he wouldn't have it. Tried private school and he is having a ball and didn't miss a beat. The fact that we did nothing structured at all still astounds me when these public schools are all running around with their hair on fire trying to devise how to teach kids and get test scores up. Try this: Talk to them like they are intelligent, independent human beings and let them guide their own course. My guess is that this would never work in a state-run institution--so sanity is off the table.

      --
      I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
    14. Re:Solving the problem, or solving the symptom? by datavirtue · · Score: 1

      " Our society pushes image and celebrity down everyone's throat. We value athletes, reality stars and 'likes' more than intelligence, accomplishment, and being yourself."

      Millennials have totally different values and it is refreshing. It used to weird me out because I wondered why my son was so responsible and sensible about things. I though, why the hell isn't he sneaking out of the house and doing drugs or trying to harass girls, or pranking the neighbors. WTF is wrong with him?! Come to find out that this is quite common to teenagers and young adults these days. Supposedly they are cognizant of the influence of the social media and its ability to capture their bad behavior and preserve it for all to see. Certainly would explain why my teenager seems so much more mature than me.

      --
      I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
    15. Re:Solving the problem, or solving the symptom? by datavirtue · · Score: 1

      Disclaimer: They are NOT into working. Also refreshing.

      --
      I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
    16. Re:Solving the problem, or solving the symptom? by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      William Edwards Deming said "95% of line-level worker problems, are the direct result of top-level management decisions."

      I think he knew how to punctuate properly. Maybe he paid attention in class instead of playing Candy Crush?

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  5. As usual by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    America creates, innovates, builds. Europe bans, fines, taxes. Such a shame.

    1. Re:As usual by DickBreath · · Score: 1

      Dear Mr. Trump, before you criticize, maybe you should compare the education of a US HS graduate to their foreign counterparts.

      --

      I'll see your senator, and I'll raise you two judges.
    2. Re:As usual by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      Yet you have more actual freedom in Europe, unless your idea of "freedom" is easily buying a gun, or being subject to the latest and greatest Internet surveillance tech.

      Look to incarceration rates of the US vs European countries for an example of this. Look at insurance systems, where you're actually FREE to move between jobs, go to school, etc without threat of medical bankruptcy. Look at drinking ages in Europe vs the US. Hell, look at mass protests in Europe -- they're allowed to happen and aren't brutally smashed by police.

      Economic freedom isn't the be-all and end-all of freedom -- there's also social freedom.

    3. Re:As usual by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Well, they must be doing something right, considering that the average high school in Europe teaches at a level some colleges in the US would like to aspire to.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    4. Re:As usual by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh get your head out of your ass you stupid delusional egocentric moron. There might have been a time, long ago, where the US was effectively a land of freedom and opportunity, a beacon of democracy and civilization. But that hasn't been true in a long time.

      Today, the facts are that the US sucks. Among all the civilized countries in the world, they perform worse than almost every one of them in almost every domain: Education, healthcare, infant mortality, violent crime, life expectancy, incarceration rates, arts, culture, you name it.

      And putting narcissistic, psychopathic, sexual predators and child rapists in the oval office won't solve this problem.

    5. Re:As usual by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      These are all granted to you by your all mighty EU overloads which can be voted away with a politicians pen. Freedom in the USA is not granted by the government but are inalienable any can never be taken away.

    6. Re:As usual by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      Right. The Constitution says one thing, various governments in the US do another.

      Excessive bail is common. So are people being jailed to bully them into a plea bargain. Bye-bye, 5th Amendment. Internal "border" checkpoints can search you and your car at random -- whoops! There goes the Fourth. Right to property. Civil forfeiture anyone?

      "Freedom" in the US is a cruel joke unless you're rich.

    7. Re: As usual by c6gunner · · Score: 1

      So your argument is that Europe is more free because they let criminals off with a slap on the wrist, and they allow riots to happen.

      Neato. I sure wish I lived there.

    8. Re: As usual by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      Yes. I'd rather side with so-called "criminals" than with authoritarians. At least "criminals" don't have absolute power.

      The ability to riot, strike, and shut down a country means that a government doesn't have absolute power -- this is a feature, not a bug.

    9. Re:As usual by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Excessive bail is common for what crimes? Murder, speeding tickets, drug dealing which crime?. I can usually pay my speeding or parking tickets with out excessive bail. You have every right to plead innocent and hire a good lawyer. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1946 allows border agents to stop and ask if your a US citizen (The supreme court has upheld this as constituional). It doesn't allow them to search your car at random. Civil forfeiture laws are being struct down all across the country currently.

    10. Re: As usual by c6gunner · · Score: 1

      Yes. I'd rather side with so-called "criminals"

      That's obvious. Everything you say makes you sound like a violent lunatic. I suspect you've spent you share of time in the clink.

    11. Re: As usual by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      Most of the things you say make you sound like an authoritarian, boot-licking ass.

    12. Re:As usual by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      The system is designed to suck people in. Take some California cities, where a simple traffic ticket can be $500. Most Americans don't have $500 for an emergency. So it spirals into late fees, contempt-of-court charges, maybe an arrest warrant. Whereas a civilized system would allow judges to equalize punishment by basing fines on income.

      As far as excessive bail, read about the case of Kalief Browder. Held without trial on suspicion of a crime, for years because he had the temerity not to plead guilty to SOMETHING instead of standing on his Constitutional right to a fair trial. Eventually released, but the experience of imprisonment on Riker's Island damaged him psychologically and eventually lead to his suicide.

    13. Re: As usual by c6gunner · · Score: 1

      "No, you're not allowed to smash Starbucks windows and light police cars on fire."

      "Shut up bootlicker! I'm fighting da power!!1!1"

      I'd like to amend my previous statement to "a violent, petulant man-child".

    14. Re: As usual by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      No, but mass demonstrations where some inconvenience is caused are fine. So are general strikes that cause inconvenience. Protests SHOULD be inconvenient, otherwise they often fail to get their point across.

    15. Re: As usual by c6gunner · · Score: 1

      How you've managed to convince yourself that "mass demonstrations where some inconvenience is caused" aren't allowed in the USA is beyond me. Maybe try news sources other than RT?

    16. Re: As usual by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      In the USA, they shut down a road or two. In France, they shut down cities when the government does something boneheaded.

    17. Re:As usual by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Kalief Browder was not held without a trial he was held on a probation violation and denied bond because of that. In the State of New York you get no bond you go directly to jail for probation violation. Also why was he on probation? Well because he had a plea deal for auto theft. He was subsequently charged with robbery, grand larceny and assault by a Grand Jury. These are serious offenses. Blaming excessive bail as the cause of this is factually not true and misleading. The assistant District Attorney deferred the case 33 times and the Judge dismissed the case. He was let go clear and free. It would be fair to say the law was on his side. Otherwise he was looking at a very long and lengthy prison sentence if convicted.

    18. Re: As usual by c6gunner · · Score: 1

      I'm France they shut down cities when it's Friday and they woke up a bit cranky.

    19. Re:As usual by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      Why was the DA allowed to defer the case 33 times, in violation of his right to a speedy trial? Because America, and the Constitution doesn't apply unless you're rich.

  6. Show me scientific proof by cloud.pt · · Score: 0

    Where is the peer-reviewed, academically acclaimed study stating screen addiction is bad? I see lots of successful people, both socially and professionally, that have been addicts of technology for as long as basic school. I think this is another populist measure based on wanting to show the electorate "there's stuff being done and it is relevant", only it isn't.

    1. Re:Show me scientific proof by Jzanu · · Score: 3, Informative

      Sure. In general phone use and especially internet smart phone use is detrimental for children. Some examples (easy to find if you do actually look at health journals) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/p... and https://www.sciencedirect.com/... And especially so for students in class. https://www.tandfonline.com/do... If you don't have access just read all of the abstract, since it is the summary. For more easy to find papers check the links on the hosting pages and especially in the references provided in these papers.

    2. Re:Show me scientific proof by cloud.pt · · Score: 1

      Those are interesting articles... aside from the fact they all conclude a priori that these internet and Smartphone use "addictions" are bad. One of them is simply studying the levels of such "addictions" and taking no conclusions whatsoever on their consequences, which in itself is turning the scientific method upside down, starting from conclusion and not from a plausible hypothesis.

      The fact most parents, or worse, scientist parents observe their children use a smartphone more intensively than they do or did back when they were their age (as there were no smartphones or ubiquitous internet in most cases) only contributes to their opinion being biased to a flawed scientific method - formulate a biased hypothesis; find only contributing factors that support that hypothesis and gather them for statistical analysis; take conclusions based solely on biased arguments for an already biased hypothesis.

      I am in a privilleged position as an observer of 2 children now aged 6 and 8 - my young sister and a cousin. Most hypotheses I spontaneously formulate while interacting with them are stuff like "how much smartphones and other connected (or not) portable devices such as tablets, game consoles and others, have improved their basic school education and actually gave them an edge in first and", or "how it hasn't really detracted their home study or work because parenting (and my "brothering") hasn't neglected the correct steering of these devices' correct use (and I don't mean embedded parental controls on the devices, I mean good old "make sure you do these [insert important children errand] while/before/after you get to the leisure part of using these devices). These are the kind of things that go through my mind in my practical scenarios. Not skeptical or last century's idea of social interaction being automatically overridden by the time they take cater connected device use. It's not like in the 90's/00's where most parents would put their children in front of a TV and let them educate themselves on 80% their free time at home. They actually learn and make associations while googling or binge-youtubing just like we do on our young adult-elder lives. I can say my little sister learned doing Google Image searches by herself, like about animals she heard the name but never seen. She also learned how to find websites for her own interesting topics such as cartoons and games by herself, to a point I had to tell her not to look for some topics without my support in order for her not to get to the dark corners of the web, which also exist in real life btw.

      Unfortunately, I am still a software developer in a scientific environment and my academic work has been limited to reviewing/supporting paper authoring and not really authoring them, but I do work on the field of improving quality of life through smart devices available to the consumer. But I am in no way biased for or against smartphone/connected devices, I simply see them for what they are - gadgets that will only rise in use and in paradigms of use through the times, and that aren't the harbinger of illiteracy and anti-social behaviors everyone and wants to make of them.

  7. Wrong by sexconker · · Score: 0

    Our main role is to protect children and adolescents. It is a fundamental role of education

    Your role is to educate. Protecting children is not your role. You've subsumed that role so you can take more control over the youth and further drive the wedge of state between families. You've assigned yourself as judge, jury, and executioner with regards to whether or not children need to be protected, what they need to be protected from, and how they will be protected from it. The 60s hippies were right about one thing - public schools are nothing more than statist indoctrination camps.

    1. Re:Wrong by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You conspiracy theorist nutcases really crack me up.

  8. Excellent! by cascadingstylesheet · · Score: 2

    Yeah, we didn't have smartphones, but we had hand held entertainment devices of various sorts.

    Formal or informal, guess what, you didn't get to play with them in class, or essentially use them in school at all. If they were ubiquitous then the ban surely would have been formal.

    1. Re:Excellent! by LordWabbit2 · · Score: 1

      you didn't get to play with them in class

      Same here, and if you did they got confiscated and giving back at the end of the school day, which means you would not get a chance to play during lunch time. I could not afford one at the time, but someone lost his back battery cover (which holds the batteries in) and thought it was stuffed, so he gave it to me. A little work with a soldering iron and I had my own handheld.

      --
      There are three kinds of falsehood: the first is a 'fib,' the second is a downright lie, and the third is statistics.
    2. Re:Excellent! by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      When I was a kid, we had Nintendo game and watch games. Kids with money had them, anyway. And they would often play with them during the lunch break. That was in school.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  9. Yawn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In other news, kids at school are told to pay attention to the teacher.

  10. Of course by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Of course we're not talking about ALL French Students here...
    There are many with Religious exceptions to any and all rules.
    La France est finis, who cares anymore.

    1. Re: Of course by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe we could start a religion whose sky fairy commands the use of smartphone instead of funny hats.

    2. Re: Of course by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 2

      Maybe we could start a religion whose sky fairy commands the use of smartphone instead of funny hats.

      They did that in Denmark already.

      --
      -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
  11. mod parent up by bussdriver · · Score: 1

    All our progress happened without all this new great stuff and we sure do not seem to be progressing forward in modern times...

    Delaying gratification is a huge indicator of having a better life; simply forcing students to learn lessons along those lines will do them more good than most every other lesson. Waiting for their phone use alone is a great learning opportunity for them.

    Studies and science will and have begun to back such policies; we are talking about big new changes and should be conservative about their use while waiting for the science to catch up. We ALREADY have studies showing IQ drops simply having their phone known to be within range distracts them EVEN if they know it is OFF!

    We have preliminary stuff from many observations which will lead to studies showing that boredom is healthy and an important of child development.

    We have studies already going on about the poor social skills and many of use non-millennial are noticing problems in the younger generation that are beyond the classic older generation complaints. Just 1 area: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

  12. Great news! by DaMattster · · Score: 5, Insightful

    There is no need for school students to have a cell phone in school, period; let alone a smartphone. School is a place for learning and phones and tablets are a distraction.

    1. Re:Great news! by Kurrelgyre · · Score: 0

      Smartphone, probably not, but any cell phone? There are numerous situations where a parent and their child could need to reach each other during the school day.

    2. Re:Great news! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      A parent can call into the main office and request to talk to their child. If there's REALLY a good reason to talk to their child, they CAN get in contact with them. And the opposite is also true. If a child REALLY needs to talk to their parent for some reason, they're probably already in the office of someone in a position of authority (principal, nurse, etc) and will have access to a landline.

      This, of course, doesn't cover things like mass shootings. But those are exceedingly rare, despite what all the fear mongering would lead you to believe. And frankly, I think they would be even more rare if the 24/7 news media weren't there to give it the amount of attention those tragedies get.

      Note, I'm not saying that reporting on these events is the problem. I'm saying that the constant 24/7 barrage of news creates undue anxiety for parents and kids, as well as creating additional incentive to the shooter to commit the act because of the extreme notoriety.

    3. Re:Great news! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There are are situations where anyone needs to reach any student during the school day without going through the school office.

    4. Re:Great news! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No there isn't, there was no reason in the past ,no reason now, my 13 year old does not need to call me during a class.

      Laws are passed because of lazy ass bad parenting

    5. Re:Great news! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But smartphones all have calendar app these days. They should be perfect for keeping track of assignments.

    6. Re:Great news! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Glad to know that life is so routine and predictable for you. It isn't for everybody.

    7. Re:Great news! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What on Earth did people do 30 years ago when I was in school? If it was super important, you'd call the main office and you'd get called down to the office. If it wasn't important enough to call the office for, you know what you did? You fucking waited until the kid was out of school.

      I mean, what the hell, why would you want parents distracting their kids in the classroom? Give your kids some goddamn freedom and stop hanging them with apron strings.

  13. let me be the first to say.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sacre bleu!

    That's a thing they say, right?

    1. Re:let me be the first to say.. by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 1

      Sacre bleu!

      That's a thing they say, right?

      Je ne sais quoi!

      --
      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
  14. Coordinating Afterschool activities by HockeyPuck · · Score: 2

    In many schools in my area, the children are forbidden from using the phone during school hours. (Detention if the child is caught using the phone during school hours) However, after school they can use it. Also, many students ride their bike to school or their parents drive them.

    Seems like students using the phone after school to let their parents know they're being delayed (my bike has a flat, come pick me up) or the parents are running late so that the other party isn't left waiting/worrying why there is a delay, is an appropriate use of the phone.

  15. Fixed: "... young people coordinate strikes" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There, fixed that for you. You're welcome. Who do they think they can fool with this?

  16. Teacher sex with underage kids legal in France by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No teacher in France ever goes to prison for f-cking their pupils. France hosted Roman Polanski for years, after he escaped from a criminal conviction for drugging and anally raping a 13-year old in the USA. Only months ago, France's highest court agreed with the 'innocence' granted to a rapist who attacked a 13-year old in a park.

    The reason for a smartphone ban in French schools is that video is the kind of evidence sheeple cannot ignore. And the powers that be in France want to protect the right of french men to rape children.

    Of course it was France that actively assisted the muslim trade in r-pe slaves across the Middle East and North Africa thru to the 1960s (NINETEEN 60s) when the British had made an increasingly half-hearted attempt to end it. Even today the South of France hosts many Arab palaces where the Saudis and others can safely host their r-pe slave 'servants' without fear of interference. If one of these 'servants' escapes and raises a complaint, France immediately ships them back to Saud Arabia or wherever they are officially 'employed'.

    PS ever wonder why ordinary schools still follow the insanely obsolete VICTORIAN design for 'universal education' when the world has, tech wise, moved so far on? 95% of what 95% of people do at school is a provable total waste of time. Schools for the sheeple are about social conditioning and NOT education.

  17. Students, you hold the wisdom of the world in hand by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

    Now turn it off and listen to what we think instead.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  18. Sanctity of Learning? by internet-redstar · · Score: 1

    Protecting the sanctity of learning by cutting off the connection to all the known human knowledge? Idiots!

    1. Re:Sanctity of Learning? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Did you know they have these people who work in schools called "teachers". The entire purpose of their job is to impart human knowledge on the children. Also, did you know that schools have these things called computers? If a student needs access to an internet based resource, use the school provided equipment.

      Lets face it, the kids aren't using their phones to lookup shit on wikipedia. They're using it to gossip with their friends. If you don't believe me, well I have a bridge to sell you.

      So tell me again, why a student needs his phone in school? Will the kid go through phone withdrawl? Start twitching and throwing up in class?

  19. Re:Students, you hold the wisdom of the world in h by jmkaza · · Score: 1

    Cell phone contents...
    5% - Collective wisdom of the world
    95% - Collective idiocracy of the world

    Turning it off in school to learn the difference - priceless

  20. Mastery Is All by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

    The true master realizes all things hold wisdom, even if negative wisdom to learn what not to do.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:Mastery Is All by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Kids aren't masters, and that's kind of the point: they don't know what is good for them and what isn't. Do you really think a child is better off just doing whatever they want on a phone all day than getting purposeful instruction? Let me introduce you to my stepson whose father allowed him to do just that for 14 years, and you will see how dysfunctional that plan is.

    2. Re:Mastery Is All by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

      Kids would be better off being given directed ideas for topics to research on a phone and coming up with their own related projects and papers which would then be reviewed, than the factory-style instruction we have today to memorize rote facts. It works so terribly we aren't even producing good trivia players.

      --
      "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    3. Re:Mastery Is All by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Kids would be better off being given directed ideas for topics to research on a phone and coming up with their own related projects and papers which would then be reviewed, than the factory-style instruction we have today to memorize rote facts. It works so terribly we aren't even producing good trivia players.

      Please tell me Sir where you got your degree in child education? Do you honestly thing that letting a room of second graders do whatever the hell they want is a good idea?

      Also they don't need a phone to come up with their own related projects at school. Surely they provide computers for the students to use to research things. Keep coming up with excuses to keep the kids distracted by their phones.

  21. That's truancy by tepples · · Score: 1

    Study?

    Could you explain further what you mean by this? Early in the school year, I would read ahead in the textbook between the end of the lecture and the end of the class period. But later in the school year, I have finished the textbook, and this is no longer effective.

    Or walk around the school as a type of exercise?

    In schools in most states of the United States, leaving the classroom during a class period without a hall pass would result in disciplinary action against the student for truancy. Do schools in France have different customs compared to schools in the United States with respect to under what conditions a teacher is willing to grant a hall pass?

    prepare for the next class?

    Could you explain further what you mean by "the next class"? Do you mean the next meeting of the same class, or the different class next period?

    It's not that long time (5-10 minutes) to control yourself.

    What prevents a teacher from finishing the lecture even earlier than that?

    1. Re:That's truancy by dryeo · · Score: 1

      Perhaps they can learn patience.

      --
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverted_totalitarianism
    2. Re:That's truancy by parkinglot777 · · Score: 1

      Could you explain further what you mean by this? Early in the school year, I would read ahead in the textbook between the end of the lecture and the end of the class period. But later in the school year, I have finished the textbook, and this is no longer effective.

      Why are you only thinking about reading ahead? To study, you could also revisit what you learned. It helps you to remember what you learned. Unless you think that everything you learned in classes is useless anyway (as many Americans do). To me, everything I learned in class could be used in life one way or the other. It may not be obvious at all, but it is a part of building blocks. What to remember is to "keep in mind" and don't over value what you learned in classes.

      In schools in most states of the United States, leaving the classroom during a class period without a hall pass would result in disciplinary action against the student for truancy. Do schools in France have different customs compared to schools in the United States with respect to under what conditions a teacher is willing to grant a hall pass?

      Then kids need to learn to behave and stay in the room. Talking to each other during the break is fine as well. That is a way to learn real-life socializing instead of looking at the phone.

      Could you explain further what you mean by "the next class"? Do you mean the next meeting of the same class, or the different class next period?

      It can be anything. It could be the next class of the same subject or the next class which follows the class which is just finished.

      What prevents a teacher from finishing the lecture even earlier than that?

      Well, report to the principal? Teachers are supposed to spend as much time they are given as they can to deliver education. Any teachers who leave the class early usually give assignments or something that kids need to do in class. If any teachers decide to leave early without a good reason, then report them. I know, kids nowadays don't care because they behave badly. No disciplinary is very likely to be spoiled. It is a problem involve all parents, kids, and teachers.

  22. This is a very very good idea by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 1

    Glad that someone is doing something about this!

    On the plus side, this will also result in fewer teens getting depressed.

    --
    -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
  23. Re:Students, you hold the wisdom of the world in h by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Now turn it off and be respectful of the person in charge of the classroom. Yes, students are to be listening to their teachers and respecting the rules of the classroom.

    It's disrespectful to have your phone out when someone is speaking to you, regardless of your age.

    Do you take your phone out in the middle of a business meeting while your manager is talking to you? No? Then why the fuck is that acceptable in a classroom.

  24. Since when did kids care about the rules? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They're going to bring them anyway. I'm pretty sure most sane teachers probably already forbid using cell phones in the classroom. Just seems kind of pointless to me.