
Students at government schools and colleges will not be allowed to use their phones during the school day from September.
The new policy is outlined by the Education Minister in a letter to parents - due to be sent out on Monday (23 June).
Deputy Rob Ward offers guidance to parents on phone use, and advises against sending children to school with smartphones at all. He also advises close monitoring of children's device use and the sites they are accessing.
Deputy Ward says he wants to “avoid the use of negative language, such as ‘ban’
Deputy Ward writes, "where a student actively evades policy to use a phone (they) will be dealt with according to school behaviour policy.
“If access is discovered of inappropriate sites and content, we will not hesitate to involve the police, should it be of a severe nature."
He says we need to “work as a community to educate our young people as to the importance of being safe online.”
The Children, Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel is reviewing Jersey's protection of children from online harms.
READ: Review to examine need for specific legislation to protect Jersey children from online harm
Chair of the Panel, Deputy Catherine Curtis had her suspicions the island is not compliant - where online safety is concerned - with UN laws on protecting children:
"There is nothing specific in place to protect children from online harms."
There have been some calls for Jersey to follow France, which this year introduced a ban on smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches for students under 15.
In March, a survey of Years 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 in Jersey revealed that 37% of children said they have sent online messages to strangers.
READ: Around 2 in 5 children in Jersey message strangers
Three-quarters of those surveyed admitted to more than three hours of screen time daily - including television.
A third of Year 12s (teens aged 16-17) confessed to changing privacy settings on apps, including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, to gain more followers.