DCU ABC Research Project Investigating mobile phone policies in schools

What is this research about and why is it important?

There is an increasing number of schools in Ireland who are introducing restrictive mobile phone policies for a variety of reasons (e.g., reducing incidences of cyberbullying). However, there is no research conducted on how effective (e.g., reducing mobile phone use during school hours) of these policies is in schools in Ireland so it is important that we conduct this research. The DCU Anti-Bullying Centre is running a research study in your child's school, as well as other schools in Ireland, to collect information on the mobile phone policies in schools.

We need the involvement of young people in order to inform if these policies are effective in reducing mobile phone use in schools. We have completed the surveys for this research study and at this point of the research process, we are conducting focus groups with young people to find out their opinions on the mobile phone policies in your child’s school. The reason we want to involve young people is because they are going to be the main ones impacted by the mobile phone use policies.

Who are the people doing the research?

This research is being undertaken by staff in the DCU Anti-Bullying Centre (ABC). Individually, we are Dr. Megan Reynolds, Prof. James O’Higgins Norman, Mr. Derek Laffan MSc, Dr. Sandra Sanmartín Feijóo, Dr. Maryam Esfandiari, Dr. Darragh McCashin and Dr. Mairéad Foody. Collectively, ABC staff are well positioned in the area of bullying and cyberbullying intervention and prevention as well as online safety, as we have years of experience researching these issues within schools in Ireland.