THERE’S A NEW toy craze happening in Ireland and beyond: fidget spinners.
You might not have heard of them, but they’re selling out in many shops.
The toys are marketed as stress-relievers and tools to help children with ADHD and autism to concentrate. They range in price from about €1 to over €100 (if you want a really fancy one).
The toy is essentially three sections that spin around a weighted disc. Videos of tricks that can be performed with them have become very popular online, particularly among younger people.
However, their use has been banned by some schools in the UK and US as they’re becoming a distraction in classrooms.
A spokesperson for the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) told TheJournal.ie they’re aware of the toy’s popularity here, saying that banning them is a matter for individual schools.
“Primary schools will deal with this pragmatically, as they’ve done with many other ‘must-have’ toys over the years. They won’t allow them in class if they’re causing disruption, they’ll be allowed in the playground or to play with after school.”
The spokesperson compared this trend to Pokémon trading cards, which were previously dubbed the ‘must-have’ toy and resulted in some fights on playgrounds.
There are plenty of examples over the years of children being bullied over not having a ‘must-have’ toy … Schools deal with this routinely.
“In the case of them causing a major disruption in class or major fights, children will be told to leave them at home.
“If it’s just kids having fun with them, there’s no problem. If kids are being intimidated or bullied over them, teachers will act,” the spokesperson stated.
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