Recent statistics show that 95% of Danes now have a mobile phone subscription.  The use of camera phones in particular is on the increase. In just one and a half years, the number of MMS (picture messages) sent in Denmark has risen from 498,000 to 8.2 million.

The camera phone, being small and portable, easily becomes a part of everyday life.  It covers several social and practical functions.  In a matter of seconds an image from a child’s life can be sent to friends and teachers or placed on the net in a moblog to share with other Internet users.

Despite the exciting possibilities of the camera phone for learning and social networking, the public debate in Denmark often focuses on cases in which camera phones have been used to bully a teacher or a fellow student. Some Danish schools have reacted by banning the use of camera phones.

Karsten Gynther, Chairman of the Danish Media Council for Children and Young People, says a ban is not the answer:

“While it is important to be aware of the dangers involved with children’s use of new technologies, it is just as important to recognise their great potential for educational purposes. When I come to a school where they have banned the use of camera phones, I ask them if they also have banned the pencils that children have written dirty messages on the walls with. Then we get a dialogue.”

Danish research shows that children provided with the latest technologies use them in innovative and constructive ways. The camera phone in particular allows students to collect material for projects and move outside the classroom into the real world.”