A head teacher has unveiled plans to introduce a 12-hour school day to combat what he calls a '100 percent phone addiction' among his students.
A head teacher sparked debate after announcing to plan for students 12 hours at school.
The incident occurred in West London. Students at All Saints Catholic College in Notting Hill, west London, will be expected to arrive at 7 am and stay until 7 pm.
Andrew O'Neill, a head teacher introduced to plan for students to from 7. am to 7 p.m. at school, instead of spending time at home on their devices.
As planned, students at All Saints Catholic College will participate in activities such as dodgeball, basketball, art, drama, and cookery classes.
Andrew O'Neill the architect of the scheme, expressed concern that smartphones were creating an apathetic and anxious generation.
In the interview with the Times, O'Neil, a 42-year-old former head teacher of the year reveals the shocking thing he had ever seen on a confiscated phone.
These included instances of students blackmailing strangers and catfishing each other, which involves pretending to be someone else online to humiliate another person.
O'Neill said that several students were falling victim to online crimes, including cyberbullying, sexting, and blackmail.
He also expressed concern about children's increasing inability to make friends in real life, often choosing to play online games into the early hours of the morning with those in other countries.
He noted that his students were becoming worse at making eye contact and holding conversations. 'We have a long-term issue we need to solve,' O'Neill added. 'If we don't, we will have a generational problem with workplaces and society.'
O'Neill said: 'We have a long-term issue we need to solve. If we don't we will have a generational problem with workplaces and society.
'Some children are so apathetic. They don't care about anything.
'They are buried in their phones.'
To reduce the impact of phones on students' education, O'Neill suggests using 'brick' phones.
O'Neill encourages the use of 'brick' phones and smartphones without any social media apps installed to track their location.
Additionally, he hopes that students can experience childhood play outdoors rather than spending time on their phones in their bedrooms.
O'Neill also emphasized that parents have a responsibility to keep their children safe online. He suggested that those who fail to do so should be reported to social services or prosecuted.
