An international expert on smartphone use among young people warns the NSW government’s ban on phones in primary schools may pose new challenges for students when they leave school.

Candice Odgers, a professor of psychological science at the University of California Irvine, said phone prohibition had proven controversial among teachers and parents around the world, with parents often opposed to bans.

Mobile phone bans are proving controversial around the world

“They’re concerned about smartphone use but don’t want to be disconnected from their children. Many schools are also looking at the creative integration of devices into the classroom … using it as a tool to explore," she said at the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai.

“And one of the 21st century skills is going to be multitasking. If we ban devices for kids [in schools] and they go into a college environment, they’re going to have to manage that.