More and more countries are banning smartphones in schools

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While it is commonplace in other European countries for authorities to ban smartphones from classrooms, there are no uniform rules in Germany. Recently, the government of the southern Belgian region of Wallonia agreed to ban internet-enabled cell phones in schools in the region and in Brussels. This means that elementary school 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 education. "Taking into account the effects of screens on health, concentration and intimidation, the government will pursue a policy of vigilance," states the coalition agreement between the government partners. However, pupils should still be allowed to use digital tools such as tablets in class.

Germany is not quite there yet. In a survey on media use conducted by DAK in cooperation with the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), the participating experts were divided on whether smartphones should be banned in secondary schools in general. However, the experts favored a ban for elementary school. Unesco also believes that education in schools is endangered by smartphones and is backing a ban. However, a uniform approach in this country is failing due to the federal system and differing opinions of the education ministries of the federal states. The CDU at least wants to take action against private cell phones in elementary school. Party politician Karin Prien in particular, who is Minister of Education in Schleswig-Holstein, considers the increasing media consumption of younger children via smartphones to be risky. The red-green state of Lower Saxony, meanwhile, is campaigning against a general ban. The teachers' association is also of the opinion that such a step would be impossible to enforce.

Domestic authority applies in Germany

In most German educational institutions for children and young people, the private use of smartphones has been prohibited in the house rules for years anyway, points out physics teacher Patrick Bronner. The usual exception: teachers explicitly allow the use of devices for lessons in accordance with the controversial BYOD concept (Bring Your Own Device). Bronner himself favors "tablet classes": "Especially in the age of AI, such a small computer should be part of the basic equipment for modern teaching alongside analog textbooks. The more school-owned tablets are available, the fewer smartphones are needed by pupils, with the associated IT security risks.

The Belgians are in good company with their plan. In mid-2023, for example, the Dutch Ministry of Education announced its intention to keep smartphones, tablets and smartwatches out of classrooms. Exception: the devices are actually needed in class or students are dependent on their cell phone for medical reasons or due to a disability. A quasi-ban has been in place at secondary schools since the beginning of 2024, reports the German School Portal. This is ultimately an "urgent recommendation", not a legal obligation. From the 2024/25 school year, the directive will also apply to primary and special schools. Educational institutions can decide for themselves whether and when the use of smartphones in lessons is appropriate. A formal ban is likely to be debated again following the recent change of government.

Pioneers in Italy and France

In France, cell phone users were apparently disrupting lessons long before the triumph of ChatGPT, Gemini & Co. because a smartphone ban has been in place at schools there since 2010. Initially, the use of cell phones was only prohibited in the classroom. In 2018, the French National Assembly even banned the use of smartphones during breaks and school activities outside the actual educational establishment. The regulations apply to preschools (Écoles maternelles), elementary school and secondary schools. Only grammar schools (lycées) are exempt, writes the school portal. Children between the ages of three and 15 should be able to concentrate better on learning in this way. The aim of the legislation is also to protect young people from cyberbullying and content that is harmful to minors. Teachers are allowed to temporarily confiscate devices in the event of violations.

Italy was one of the pioneers of a ban on cell phones in schools, imposing one back in 2007. Ten years later, a more liberal regime was introduced, but in 2022 the new Minister of Education in Giorgia Meloni's cabinet, Giuseppe Valditara (Lega Nord), banned cell phones from classrooms once again. The minister argues that anyone who is constantly looking at a screen is not showing teachers enough respect. However, teachers can allow tablets, laptops and desktops if they use them for educational purposes and supervise their use.

As the relevant guidelines were apparently often ignored, Valditara issued a decree a few days ago. The restrictions on the use of smartphones apply to all age groups - from primary to secondary to high school, reports the FAZ. In the future, students will be required to write down their homework in a school calendar, using pen and paper. The hope is that the return to the analog method will make it easier for parents to keep track of their children's learning progress and subject. Valditara is also counting on more calm returning to the classroom and an improvement in pupils' writing skills. At the same time, the minister has announced a pilot project for AI in the classroom. However, it is not primarily the pupils who are to work with it, but the teachers, who will be able to assess their performance more easily and better thanks to the technology, is the hope.

UK: feature phones for elite pupils

In February, the British Ministry of Education issued a directive stating that schools in the UK should prohibit the use of smartphones during lessons and breaks. The administration can even stipulate that pupils must hand in their devices when entering the premises and keep them in lockers until they go home. Trade unions criticized the guidelines for distracting from the actual problems in the education system, such as insufficient staffing levels and inadequate provision for children with special needs.

Former Education Minister Gillian Keegan (Tories) emphasized that each school knows best how to implement the guidelines. It was not a legal obligation. It remains to be seen whether this will change after the change of government to Labor. According to a survey of teachers, 80 percent of British schools already had a ban on cell phones. The expensive English elite boarding school Eton College, where Princes William and Harry as well as George Orwell graduated, for example, has recently backed the smartphone ban. However, it does not quite dare to ban mobile communication from its venerable rooms. The all-day school provides adolescents with an old-generation Nokia cell phone without internet access, which they can only use to make calls and send text messages. This is intended to minimize disruption to lessons.

Denmark - together with the other Scandinavian countries - is internationally recognized as a pioneer in digitalization in the school sector. Nevertheless, the Danish Ministry of Education also advises that smartphones must remain outside the classroom. Many educational institutions therefore offer "cell phone hotels" where students up to seventh grade can safely store their devices. In the higher classes, smartphones are tolerated during breaks and free periods. Schools are also supposed to block access to websites that are not relevant to lessons on laptops, for example. Portugal is experimenting with similar compromises, where fixed cell phone-free days are often agreed each month. In Spain, only some of the autonomous regions have imposed a complete ban by law.

(vbr)