Wednesday, March 23,2005 @ 1:50pm
Sydney private school bans iPods
The teenagers' gadget of choice, the iPod, has been banned by a Sydney private school because they lead to "social isolation." The principal of International Grammar School, Kerrie Murphy, said her decision to ban the devices coincided with the international debate on how "people were not tuning into other people because they're tuned into themselves". She was also worried that students using iPods could not hear teachers, that the iPods put stress on ears when played at high volumes and were a security risk. "They allow students to avoid communication with others and may lead to social isolation or escape from our community," she told parents in a letter last week. Murphy said yesterday that significant numbers of her Ultimo secondary school's 500 students had shown up at the start of new year with iPods. "I think iPods are fantastic, they're brilliant pieces of technology but kids don't need them at school."