Mobile Phones

Mobile phones are having an impact on every New Zealand school. While they are incredibly good safety devices for students to have with them both before and after school, the challenge is controlling their use during school time. This is particularly true as many mobile phones now enable direct access to the internet, therefore completely bypassing a school's electronic security system.

The template use agreements contained in the 2007 NetSafe Kit for Schools include detailed information on managing mobile phone use within school hours, and responding to incidents that involve mobile misuse. Addressing the issue of mobile phone use as part of establishing a school-wide culture of cybersafety can help minimise the challenges presented by such new technological developments in the future.