Mobile phone ban in schools: more concentration or senseless ban?

Mobile phone ban in schools: more concentration or senseless ban?

From now on, a strict mobile phone ban applies in Carinthian elementary schools. State Councilor Heinrich Fellner (ÖVP) announced that cell phones are classified as "Devices disturbing school operation". During the lesson, the devices must be kept safely, and violations of this regulation can be punished with warnings, class book entries or notifications of the parents. Fellner justified the decree that excessive mobile phone usage caused a negative impact on the development of children. This is part of a more comprehensive plan that provides for a working group with scientific support for the age group of ten to 14 years to raise awareness of adequate media use, such as Kleinezeitung.at reported.

The influence of the ban

The topic of mobile phone ban in schools is increasingly controversial. While some voices, such as those of the Minister of Culture of Hesse, Armin Schwarz (CDU), are calling for a nationwide ban, countries such as Canada, Australia, France and England are already showing how such regulations can be implemented in modified form. Arguments for the ban stated that it increases the concentration of the students and reduces cyberbullying, since in other countries where cell phones are not allowed, students play and communicate more again. An OECD study from 2024 has also proven that excessive cell phone use worsens the academic performance, such as "https://t3n.de/news/handyverbot-an-schulen-chenschenz-oder-ueberholte-ein-in-pro-und-contra-1670591/"> t3n.de determined.

On the other hand, there are voices that a flat -rate ban does not consider to be contemporary. Critics argue that schools should instead rely on media literacy and that pupils have to prepare for the challenges of the digital world. A general ban could lead to pupils to perceive prohibited cell phone use as attractive and thereby miss interesting uses. Instead, limited use under certain conditions, such as a special school mode, could make more sense. These different perspectives show that the debate about the role of smartphones in schools is far from complete.