Education Minister Richard Bruton has not ruled out introducing a smartphone ban in Irish schools.
France already plans to prevent students from using the devices in primary and secondary schools.
From September, the French government is banning phones right through the school day, including lunchtimes.
The prospect of the move being duplicated here comes after new research showed one in five children have suffered cyberbullying and 13% have sent nude pictures or videos of themselves to others.
Minister Bruton said parents are becoming increasingly concerned that ‘phones are preventing their children from exercising and interacting with other kids.
He told today’s Irish Daily Mail: “We’ll have to think about the approach.
“At the moment it’s down to the individual board of management to decide what policies they pursue.
“But we are providing very strong supports to schools in making those decisions.”
He said there is little doubt the public is becoming much more concerned about the potential unsafe use of social media.
Minister Bruton said an outright ban is not being considered now but said: “I won’t rule anything out. Like anything you will want to see evidence.”
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