School principals are pushing back on a proposed mobile phone ban in classrooms.

The NSW state government has launched a review into the risks and benefits of students using smartphones in schools, with part of the report examining if mobile phones exacerbate cyber-bullying.

But leading educators aren’t supporting the proposed ban.

President of the NSW Secondary Principals’ Council Chris Presland tells Luke Grant “just banning mobile phones in the belief that somehow that’s going to stop or reduce cyberbullying is really naive”.

Mr Presland wants to make it clear teachers welcome the review, telling Luke “I think it’s a really good idea to have a good solid discussion around the pros and cons”.

“There is no doubt the misuse of mobile phones by lots of students is causing a lot of grief for teachers in classrooms.

“But just banning them actually just makes things harder and fails to recognise that there are some pretty good uses.

“It’s a bit like saying we’ve got a problem with speeding on our roads, so let’s just ban cars.

“It’s not really getting to the core of the problem.”

Click PLAY below to hear the full interview

The main issue facing educators in the classroom is the lack of respect being shown to teachers.

“Our society has a bit of a problem with authority figures,” says Mr Presland.