When the Ministry of Education announced a ban on cell phone use by students in primary and secondary schools, the first question that came to mind was; "what were they doing there in the first place?”

What is a 12-year old doing with a cell phone? Parents who dote on their children by spoiling them are doing them a great disservice. Simply because some parents were deprived in their childhood does not warrant them to spoil their children. They are simply, unknowingly, creating a situation they will come to regret later.

Today people and cell phones are inseparable and one wonders how we survived before they came. But the phones have also become the biggest anti-social tools; conversations have been replaced by social media interactions and young people, especially girls, have become infatuated with selfies and photo sharing.

So one can imagine the distraction phones cause in the hands of students; studying will be the last thing on their minds as they are busy sharing snippets of gossip and videos.

It is true that some parents would like to keep in permanent contact with their children but that should not be substituted with education. Young minds are easily corrupted and there is no better tool than unfettered access to a smartphone.

Maybe some schools could install public phone booths for students but which would be jealously monitored to deter abuse. But cell phones among school children is definitely a very bad idea and it is a wonder it has been entertained for this long.