The UK’s National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) has claimed the the level of cyberbullying, particularly using online community sites and mobile phones, has gotten to the stage where mobile phones should be banned from school grounds as “potentially offensive weapons”, reports the BBC. NASUWT general secretary Chris Keates is “particularly concerned about websites such as Ratemyteacher and Bebo which, she says, provide a vehicle for false allegations and abuse by pupils which can damage teachers’ self esteem and careers…She said: “These sites are fed by pupils’ misuse of mobile phones. The time has come for mobiles in schools to be placed in the category of a potentially offensive weapon and action taken to prevent their use by pupils while on school premises.” This may seem a little extreme, but considering how prevalent “happyslapping” had to become before something was done about it she may have a point. Mobile phones allow content (photos, videos etc) to be taken and shared widely, almost instantly. The main concern seems to be that nothing is done in the instances of cyberbullying.
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