Victorian public school students will be banned from using their phones from next year.
Students will have to switch off their phones and store them in lockers until the final bell, Education Minister James Merlino has announced.
"This will remove a major distraction from our classrooms so that teachers can teach, and students can learn in a more focused, positive and supported environment," he said in a statement.
"Half of all young people have experienced cyberbullying.
"By banning mobiles we can stop it at the school gate."
