Protest Draft Article

Protest draft – opinion piece
Stop whatever you’re doing and take a brief moment to journey back in time, to that
magical era of your childhood. A time where imaginations ran wild, and our laughter filled
the playground. I ask you to pause and reflect on the simplicity and joy of those technology-
free days. I am writing as a both a concerned and angered parent who fears we are robbing
our children of the same cherished memories and experiences that we look back on so
dearly.
In today’s technological age smartphones are becoming ever more prevalent in our society,
especially for our children. With the national institute of health reporting that over 50% of
children under 11 years old own their own smartphone. this ought to be concerning to any
parent who cares for their child’s wellbeing. We should be asking ourselves, why are we
allowing our primary school children to use personal smartphones at school? Not only will
smartphones interfere with our children’s learning, but it also poses as a massive risk to
both their health and safety. On top of that placing smartphones in the hands of young
children will largely affect their social and emotional development for the rest of their lives.
Learning disadvantages
The primary purpose of school is to encourage a positive environment for learning and
personal growth. Introducing phones to our young students can cause unnecessary
distractions. With the vast array of apps, games, and social media platforms available at
their fingertips, it becomes increasingly challenging for children to focus on learning. This is
extremely problematic especially when children at such a young age should be encouraged
to learn and step outside their comfort zone. These distractions also hinder their ability to
absorb knowledge, develop critical thinking skills, and engage in meaningful classroom
discussions.
Safety and bullying

I am positive that all of you as parents are aware of alarming growth of cyberbullying within
our society and to say we are concerned for our children would be an understatement. So
why would we open this gateway to leave our children vulnerable to such things?
Personally, it’s a risk I wouldn’t dare take. With more and more people joining social media
the prevalence of cyberbullying has reached frightening levels with the percentage of
students who report being a target of cyberbullying has increased by 55% since 2015. To put
this into perspective according to bullyzero.org 1 in 50 primary school children have been
victim of online bullying. Imagine how you would feel if your child were in that position.
Primary school students, with their limited understanding of the consequences of their
actions, are particularly vulnerable to online harassment. By accepting phone ownership for
our children, we are not doing enough to protect them from the harmful effects that
cyberbullying can have. It is our duty as parents and caretakes of these children to ensure
their safety and protection within the digital world.
Social connection
by allowing young students to possess their own phones, we risk hindering their ability to
connect with others and also themselves on a deep and meaningful level. Social
development is nurtured through face-to-face interactions, where children learn important
skills such as empathy, communication, and cooperation. However, the addition of
smartphones often replaces these vital interactions with digital communication, which often
delays the development of essential social skills that our children will need throughout their
entire lives. When children are occupied on their screens, they miss out on the
opportunities for genuine human connection, which are crucial for building lasting
relationships and developing a sense of belonging. Emotional development also suffers
when smartphones become a constant presence in a child's life. Engaging in face-to-face
conversations provides children with the chance to understand and express their emotions
effectively. It allows them to learn how to read non-verbal cues, interpret body language,
and develop empathy towards others. However, excessive screen time can lead to
emotional detachment and an inability to recognize and understand emotions in themselves
and others. Developing these social and emotional skills early in life is vital. During
childhood, when brain plasticity is at its peak, our children are highly receptive to new
information. The skills they acquire during this period are likely to have a lasting impact,
shaping who they are and how they act. By recognizing the importance of this
developmental stage, us as parents must provide the best environment for our children to
learn these skills.
rebuttal
As a parent I understand firsthand why we might feel inclined to provide our primary school
children with a phone. After all this isn’t a perfect world, there are many factors like
communication and safety that might pressure us to pass on the digital handcuffs of
smartphones to our children. However, as a result we bind them to a virtual world and limit
their ability to fully engage with the present moment. fortunately there are many feasible
ways for us to stay in contact with our children without luring them into a sea of distractions
and empty interactions. Schools can establish communication channels between teachers
and parents to ensure timely and efficient information regarding our children. This can
include communication through email, school apps, or designated phone lines.
Conclusion
The decision to delay phone ownership for primary school students is one that holds
significant benefits for our children. By prioritizing their learning, social and emotional
development, online safety, health, and academic integrity, we can ensure a nurturing and
beneficial environment for their growth. knowing all this I cant help myself to think that by
placing smartphones in the hands of our primary school students are we carelessly
hindering this same beautiful vision for them?
Reflective commentary
I have written a speech via the perspective of a parent of a child attending primary school. I am
presenting my speech towards the primary school board with the purpose to argue the recent
change in the school rules to allow children phones within the school. I have represented my speech
with a firm and confident yet also an understanding tone to connect with the rest of the parents
within the school board to create a sense of community and make myself more relatable. Ultimately,
I look for the parents of the primary school board to take my side in not allowing children their own
smartphones within the school. Throughout my speech I am exploring protest through the aspect of
the everyday person trying to make a change that will directly affect themselves and others around
them for good.
I aim to achieve a majority of parents on my side from using a rage of persuasive techniques with the
goal to further enhance the persuasive power of my speech. For example, I have used a wide range
of inclusive language like “we” “our children” and “community” these aid in conveying the idea that
we must work together to make a positive impact and do what’s best for the children. Rhetorical
questions such as “Are we robbing our children of the same cherished memories and experiences
that we look back on so dearly?” and “So why would we open this gateway to leave our children
vulnerable to such things?” I have used these to make the audience stop and deeply think about
what I’m saying and ask themselves about what the possible negative outcomes of this could be.
Throughout my entire speech I also made an effort to appeal to the parent’s emotions by reminding
them of their own childhood and their own memories that they made in primary school. I do this for
the parents to think about what their children will look back on when reminisce about their
childhood in the future. I do this with a motive to make them feel guilty about not allowing their
children to have similar memories. Additionally I use a metaphor of saying that smartphones are
“digital handcuffs” making this direct comparison from phone to handcuffs are used to paint the
picture of the constrictive nature that smartphone employ on primary school children.
I was inspired by the mentor text by Meyne Wyatt and his monologue from city of gold, where he
expresses how the way society sees indigenous Australians must change. Although I am not
advocating for such a serious change, I am pushing for a smaller scale change within a school. I was
also inspired by the emotional language that Meyne Wyatt incorporated when he stated that people
“seeing [indigenous Australians] as animals, that shit needs to stop.” Stating that he feels
dehumanized like an “animal” has a strong effect on the reader and appeal stop the emotions which
was what inspired me to make use of this techniques throughout my piece.

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Protest draft – opinion piece

Safety and bullying

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