Tuesday, 05 November 2024
Tuesday, 05 November 2024
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law on Monday a bill that requires schools to limit or ban the use of smartphones, amid a growing consensus that excess usage can increase the risk of mental illness and impair learning.
Multiple countries around the world are now cracking down on smartphone usage and online safety of children.
According to a recent UNESCO report on "Technology in education", the UN Agency has flagged that mere proximity to a mobile device distracts students and has a negative impact on learning in August 2024.
Sweden's public health agency Folkhälsomyndigheten, recommends babies have zero screen time, while teens should be capped at three hours daily, a significant reduction from current averages.
The suggestion is to cap daily screen use in the two-to-five age group to a maximum of one hour, children between six and 12 should not have more than two hours and then till age 18, it’s three hours. The current usage in Sweden is four hours a day for the 9-to-12 age group and more than seven hours a day (minus homework) for 17/18-year-olds.
Thirteen other states in the U.S. this year have banned or restricted cellphones in school or recommended local educators do so, after Florida led the way by banning phones in class in 2023, according to Education Week.
In Australia, all state, catholic, and many independent schools have imposed a ban mobile phones, aiming to reduce distractions, and combat cyberbullying. The federal government is working on a national plan to ban children from social media, though details remain sparse, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese acknowledging limitations in fully protecting children from online threats.
An expert from the UN's Education team told PTI that too much attention on technology in education usually comes at a high cost, and technology, including smartphones, should only be used in class when it supports learning outcomes.
UNESCO has flagged that use of devices by students beyond a moderate threshold may have a negative impact on academic performance as the use of smartphones and computers disrupts classroom and home learning activity.
Earlier this year, China’s internet watchdog imposed strict regulations to curb screen time of minors, directly impacting tech giants like Tencent and ByteDance.
The Cyberspace Administration of China now limits children’s internet use between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Minors aged 16-18 are restricted to just two hours of screen time per day. This crackdown is part of the government’s broader efforts to control online gaming and social media consumption among youth.
French President Emmanuel Macron is pushing for a ban on smartphone use before age 11 and social media before age 15. In August, 2024, students at selected middle schools were required to put smartphones in lockers or leave them at entrance for school day as a part of a trial to ban smartphones across 200 schools.
Backed by expert recommendations, Macron highlighted concerns over screen addiction, citing links to harassment, violence, and academic disengagement.
In the U.S., California, with nearly 5.9 million public school students, has followed the lead of its own Los Angeles County, whose school board banned smartphones for its 429,000 students in June.
California's bill, which passed 76-0 in the state assembly and 38-1 in the senate, requires school boards or other governing bodies to develop a policy to limit or prohibit student use of smartphones on campus by July 1, 2026, and update the policy every five years.
Proximity to a phone was found to have a negative impact on learning in 14 countries. And removing smartphones from schools in Belgium, Spain and the UK improved learning outcomes, according to studies cited in the UNESCO report.
