Ban smartphones in schools, says UN (one in four countries already does) [Poll]

A United Nations report has argued that we should ban smartphones in schools, noting that one in four countries around the world already does so.

UN education and science agency Unesco says that there three strong reasons to implement the policy …

The Guardian notes that the report was prepared by Unesco, the UN’s education, science and culture agency.

Smartphones should be banned from schools to tackle classroom disruption, improve learning and help protect children from cyberbullying, a UN report has recommended.

Unesco said there was evidence that excessive mobile phone use was linked to reduced educational performance and that high levels of screen time had a negative effect on children’s emotional stability.

Unesco surveyed 200 countries to find that around a quarter of them have already banned the use of smartphones in school time. Other countries have no nationwide ban, but many schools have individual policies in place, with the UK one example.

UK secondary schools’ smartphone policies vary as they are a decision for individual headteachers. They typically ensure phones are switched off and not visible while on the school site, and can be used in the classroom only with the permission of the teacher. Misuse of phones or other digital devices on school premises can lead to confiscation and sanctions such as detention.

But many governments feel that a complete ban is needed – such as France, which introduced its policy in 2018. Children are allowed to bring phones to school, but are not allowed to use them at any time between the start and end of the school day, including breaks.

A similar rule will take effect in The Netherlands as of next year. The country’s education minister, Robbert Dijkgraaf, said that the science was clear: “Students need to be able to concentrate and need to be given the opportunity to study well. Mobile phones are a disturbance, scientific research shows. We need to protect students against this.”

Unesco argues that, in addition to the specific problems caused by smartphone use at school, it’s also important to send a message that face-to-face human communication needs to be prioritized over screen time.

It said its call for a smartphone ban sent a clear message that digital technology as a whole, including artificial intelligence, should always be subservient to a “human-centred vision” of education, and never supplant face-to-face interaction with teachers.

The policy of allowing children to bring phones to school, while banning their use during the day, would still allow parents to contact children to arrange pickup once the school day has ended.

What’s your view? Would you support a ban on smartphone use during school hours? Please take our poll, and share your thoughts in the comments.