Gujarat govt to come up with guidelines for kids to 'stay away' from social media

The Gujarat will ban smart phones for teachers in primary schools, State Education Minister, Praful Pansheriya, said in a statement.

The Gujarat government on Thursday announced that it will come up with rules for teachers, parents and children to stay away from negative effects of social media and smartphones.

It said that the government has been "worried" over the impact of social media and smartphones on children.

Saying that Gujarat will be the first in the country to have come up with such guidelines, State Education Minister, Praful Pansheriya, in a statement said, "Children using excess social media and smartphones are affecting their physical and mental strength, rules will be made for parents and teachers to reduce the use of mobile phones and pay more attention to sports."

The statement said that under the new rules, "Teachers will be banned from using mobile phones in the classroom, and strict measures will be taken to ensure that primary school children do not come to school with mobile phones."

The minister added that a circular will be issued for children, parents and teachers in consultation with Children's University and Teacher's University as well as practicing psychiatrists.

Pansheriya said, "Gujarat will be the first state in the country to issue guidelines for all stakeholders to keep children away from social media," and launch a campaign for inculcating reading habits and sports activities.