More and more countries are banning smartphones in schools

While it is common for authorities in other European countries to ban smartphones in classrooms, there are no similar rules in Germany. The government of the southern Belgian region of Wallonia recently agreed to ban internet-enabled mobile phones in schools in the region and Brussels. Primary schools will soon have to impose a complete ban. Secondary schools, such as high schools, are encouraged to ban young people from using such devices in the first three years of training. “Taking into account the impact of screens on health, concentration and fear, the government will adopt a policy of caution,” it says. in the coalition agreement Government partners. However, students should still be allowed to use digital tools such as tablets during lessons.

Advertisement

Mini PC with the new Ryzen 7 for gaming in Full HD: Aoostar Gem12 Pro in the test

Germany is not ready yet. In a survey conducted by the DAK on media use in cooperation with the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), the participating experts disagreed on whether smartphones should be generally banned in secondary schools. However, the experts supported a ban for primary schools. UNESCO also sees smartphones as a threat to education in schools and is calling for a ban. However, a similar approach fails in this country due to the different opinions of the federal system and the state education ministries. The CDU would like to take action against private cell phones at least in primary schools. In particular, the party’s deputy chairman Karin Prein, who is also the education minister in Schleswig-Holstein, sees the increased media consumption of young children via smartphones as risky. Red-green Lower Saxony, for example, is currently campaigning against a general ban. The teachers’ union also believes that such a measure cannot be implemented.

In Germany, house rules apply

Physics teacher Patrick Bronner explains the practice by noting that in most German educational institutions for children and youth, the private use of smartphones has been prohibited in house rules for years. The usual exception: teachers explicitly allowed to use devices for teaching according to the controversial BYOD (bring your own device) concept. Bronner himself is for “tablet classrooms”: Especially in the age of AI, such a microcomputer should be part of the basic equipment for modern teaching along with analog textbooks. The more school-owned tablets there are, the less students will need smartphones with all the IT security risks that come with it.

The Belgians are in good company with their project. For example, the Dutch Ministry of Education announced in mid-2023 that it wants to keep tablets and smartwatches out of classrooms in addition to smartphones. Exceptions: the devices are actually needed in class or students rely on their cell phones due to medical reasons or a disability. A similar quasi-ban has gone into effect in secondary schools from the beginning of 2024, German School Portal reports. Ultimately, this is an “urgent recommendation”, not a legally backed obligation. From the 2024/25 school year, the directive will also apply to primary and special schools. Educational institutions can decide for themselves whether it is appropriate to use smartphones in lessons. A formal ban is likely to be debated again after the recent change of government.

Leading Italy and France

In France, cell phone users were clearly disrupting lessons long before the victory of ChatGPT, Gemini and Co., as smartphones have been banned in schools there since 2010. Initially, cell phone use was restricted only in class. In 2018, the French National Assembly also banned the use of smartphones during breaks and during school activities outside the actual educational institution. The requirements apply to preschools (écoles maternelles), primary schools and secondary schools. Only high schools (lycees) are excluded, writes the school portal. Children aged three to 15 should be able to better concentrate on learning this way. The legislature also aims to protect young people from cyberbullying and content harmful to youth. In the event of a violation, teachers are allowed to temporarily confiscate the device.

Italy was one of the first to ban cell phones in schools, banning it only in 2007. Ten years later, a more liberal regime arrived, but in 2022 the new education minister in Giorgia Meloni’s cabinet, Giuseppe Valditara (Lega Nord), banned cell phones in classrooms again. Anyone who constantly looks at the screen is not showing teachers enough respect, the minister argues, however, teachers can allow tablets, laptops and desktops if they serve educational purposes and monitor their use.

Since the relevant guidelines were apparently often ignored, Valditara implemented a regulation a few days ago. The ban on smartphone use applies to all age groups – from elementary to middle to high school, FAZ report. In the future, trainees will be expected to write down their homework in the student calendar using pen and paper. The hope is that the return to the analog method will make it easier for parents to track their children’s learning progress and the material being taught. Valditara is also counting on the fact that there will be more peace in lessons and students’ writing skills will improve. At the same time, the minister announced a pilot project for AI in teaching. The hope is that it is not students who should primarily work with it, but teachers, who will be able to more easily and better evaluate their performance thanks to technology.

UK: Feature phones for elite students

The UK Department for Education announced in February Policy Schools in the UK should ban the use of smartphones during lessons and recess. The administration can also stipulate that students must hand over their devices when entering the premises and keep them in lockers until they go home. Trade unions criticized the fact that the guide distracts attention from real problems in the education system, such as low staffing levels and inadequate care for children with special needs.

Former education minister Gillian Keegan (Tories) stressed that each school knows best how to implement the handout. It is not a legal obligation. It is still unclear whether this will change after the change of government to the Labour Party. According to a teacher survey, 80 percent of British schools already banned cell phones. Eton College, the expensive English elite boarding school from which Princes William and Harry as well as George Orwell graduated, has recently taken the step of banning smartphones. But it cannot dare to completely ban mobile communications from its revered rooms. This is what the full-day school offers Teens have old generation Nokia cell phones that do not have internet facilitywhich allows you to make calls and send text messages only. This is intended to minimize disruptions in class.

Denmark – along with other Scandinavian countries – is internationally recognised as a pioneer in digitalisation in schools. Nevertheless, the Danish Ministry of Education also advises: Smartphones should be kept out of the classroom. Many educational institutions therefore offer “cell phone hotels” where students up to the seventh grade can safely store their devices. In higher grades, smartphones are tolerated during breaks and free periods. Schools must also block access to websites that are not relevant to teaching on laptops. Portugal is experimenting with similar agreements, where fixed cell phone-free days per month are often agreed upon. In Spain, only a few autonomous regions have imposed a complete ban by law.

(Never)