ASTURIAN SCHOOLS AND INSTITUTES WILL PROHIBIT STUDENTS FROM RECORDING MOBILE PHONES TO OTHER CLASSMATES, AS A MEASURE AGAINST CYBERBULLYING

As we can read in the newspaper La Nueva España, the Asturian Government has approved a modification of the decree of "Rights and duties of students in non-university centers supported by public funds", in order to ensure a positive climate of living in the classroom.

To achieve this, among the measures that will be carried out in the public schools and institutes of the region, it is to strengthen the authority of the teaching staff, - allowing them to apply sanctioning measures without the approval of the head of studies of the center-, and regulate the use of Information and Communication Technologies (TIC).

It is forbidden to record images of classmates and teachers without their consent

One of the measures of the decree will focus on controlling the use that students make of ICTs, in order to prevent abuse of mobile phones and fight cyberbullying. In this sense, students will be prohibited from recording and disseminating images and sounds of classmates and teachers without their consent.

If you break this rule, the conduct would be classified as serious and could lead to expulsion for a period greater than three days and less than one month, or the change of school.

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Some studies relate the use of mobiles in schools with a worse academic performance of students, more distractions in class and greater isolation, since many end up paying more attention to digital communication than to face-to-face.

But without any doubt, the greatest danger for children and adolescents It would be that an improper use of ICTs could favor cases of cyberbullying, which is the way students haters harass their classmates.

In Babies and more How to educate our children in the era of 'haters' to combat school cyberbullying

Spain, one of the countries with more cyberbullying

According to a report prepared by the World Health Organization, Spain is one of the countries with the highest rates of cyberbullying, especially among 13-year-olds. Not surprisingly, one in three cases of bullying at this age is cyberbullying.

Behind the cyberbullying are "haters" that they share with the victim, an educational center and even class, and that they enjoy harassing and attacking it on social networks or by spreading memes, videos or images recorded without their consent.

The main problem of cyberbullying is that la victim cannot escape him, because the harassment occurs 24 hours a day due to the power of dissemination and reach granted by social networks.

If the use of mobile phones in schools were banned, would cyberbullying end?

This academic year, children under 15 in France started school without mobiles. The government decided to ban its use with the objective of "detoxifying" children and thus controlling the abuse.

The measure sparked many debates (both for and against), and even the Ministry of Education of our country announced to be studying the possibility of doing the same, although the competence to prohibit the use of the mobile would fall on the different autonomous communities.

In Babies and more, should mobile phones be banned in schools?

Whether to fight cyberbullying, detoxify children or avoid lack of attention in class, the ban on mobiles and tablets in classrooms may not be an effective solution. And there are many experts who agree that, well used, new technologies are excellent learning tools.

But for this, it is essential that before buying a mobile phone from our children, parents get involved in educating them to make responsible use of it, as well as social networks and Internet browsing. Likewise, schools should also accompany in this education, informing their students about cybersecurity.

There is no doubt that the sanctioning measures that are intended to be carried out in Asturian schools and institutes could help in combating cyberbullying among students; and in my opinion, it should be extended to all Spanish educational centers.

While it is essential work in parallel in a proper education of the use of ICT, while educating our children in values, to prevent bullying.

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