Incentives should be introduced to encourage more primary schools to ban phones.
Education Minister Norma Foley has given her support to efforts to make schools mobile free zones.
A pilot is underway in Co. Waterford while all primary schools in Greystones in Wicklow have banned the devices with the involvement of parents.
Senator Mary Seery-Kearney says more schools should be incentivised to do the same:
"The cherishing of childhood as a very special period in a child's life. As a result, I think that schools that get parents to sign up, that implement a ban on mobile phones, that are really cherishing that idea of childhood, they should get it as something akin to the green flag. I believe it should be a multicoloured flag of hope and cherishing childhood, and that that should be awarded to every school".
