There is a growing conversation about whether cell phones should be banned in schools as school officials say they pose a distraction to students. But parents are arguing that they need to be able to contact their child for safety reasons.
“Society has always needed to figure out how to adapt to technological advancements, and really reap the benefits of those. I think that’s what we’re seeing now. We’re seeing schools and policymakers and parents just do their best to try to figure out the right approach,” AT&T’s head of corporate responsibility, Charlene Lake, told FOX Business.
AT&T, like many technology companies, find themselves in the middle of this debate as they are working on technology specifically geared toward helping younger generations to stay connected with their parents throughout the day.
Its first smartwatch for kids, the AT&T amiGO Jr. Watch, launched last week, shortly after the company debuted its first kid’s tablet, the AT&T amiGO Jr. Tab.
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However, AT&T began developing such devices with “very simple communications between parents and children,” according to Lake.
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The watch, in particular, was not designed for kids to send messages to their friends or to “engage with different apps,” Lake said.
It has features like approved contact lists, location tracking, and parental monitoring. For instance, parents can use their own device to control whether the child can have access to the internet or whether the child can make calls.
The watches will also have emergency SOS capabilities, so a child can contact a pre-designated adult and emergency services with a long press on the SOS button, according to AT&T.
According to AT&T internal research, more than 85% of parents say that it’s their responsibility to manage their children’s use of devices.
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“The issue is how do we put the control in the parents’ hands?” Lake said. “They can work with the school districts. They can work with the stakeholders and policymakers, and we can give them all the tools they need to ask the right questions and make the right decisions for their families.”
Keri Rodrigues, the head of the National Parents Union, believes that “with the right tools and guidance, kids can learn to use technology in a way that enhances their education rather than detracts from it and prepares them for navigating a digital future.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a letter in April urging “every school district to act now to restrict smartphone use on campus as we begin the new academic year.” In doing so, he argued that students will benefit from “improved concentration, better academic outcomes, and enhanced social interactions.”
To find common ground, Rodrigues told FOX Business that schools and IT directors need to “collaborate with parents in finding solutions that address the challenges posed by cell phones without compromising the ability for families to stay connected.”
FOX Business reached out to the National Education Association for comment.
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