Schleswig-Holstein: No general cell phone ban, but clear regulations required

The use of private mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets in schools is also to be regulated more bindingly in Schleswig-Holstein. The state parliament in Kiel intends to issue a decree to this effect this summer, which will then apply for the coming school year. The decree will not include a general ban on carrying digital devices – which would be “disproportionate”. However, it should put more pressure on schools to negotiate binding rules within the school community, which have not yet done so. Education Minister Dorit Stenke (CDU) is also setting the direction: Up to and including grade 9, the use of private mobile devices should be precisely outlined.

No blanket ban

According to Stenke, the state wants to use the decree to provide schools with a legally secure framework. At the same time, however, they should also be “encouraged to prohibit the private use of digital devices during school hours.” However, the schools themselves are to work out what the specific regulations look like on site and then implement them together with pupils, teachers, and parents – - a process that some schools have already gone through even without a decree. However, Stenke does not want to turn schools into completely digital-free zones. Digital devices can “of course still be used for teaching purposes,” she explained.

Among other things, Stenke cited the latest OECD study to justify the move by the governing parties, CDU and Greens. The study found that German young people spend long periods of time on screens. For 15-year-olds, this currently averages seven hours a day, she explained in her speech. Long screen times could promote attention deficits, concentration problems or the loss of social skills. The aim of schools in Schleswig-Holstein should therefore be to provide “digital freedom” “and at the same time teach media skills”. A “culture of digitality” at schools could bring many benefits, such as individualized learning opportunities.

A corresponding decree on private mobile devices for elementary school has been in place in Schleswig-Holstein since 2023. Although the governing CDU and Green parties are now responding with another decree for lower secondary schools, they also called on their government in the state parliament session to “initiate a school law regulation” in addition to the decree. According to Minister Stenke, the decree that has now been announced was preceded by the “Kiel Dialogue”, which “over the past six months [...] has looked at the use of cell phones by children and young people from very different perspectives”. The presentation of the results of the dialog was part of the agenda in the state parliament.

In recent weeks, various state parliaments have discussed the use of private mobile devices in schools and the dangers of early social media use by children and young people. The federal states are struggling for clearer rules. At the federal level, Federal Education Minister Karin Prien (CDU) is campaigning for clearer restrictions on private mobile devices in schools as well as age restrictions for social media. She welcomes the intensified discussion on these topics.

(kbe)