Democrat, Republican states unite in seeking mobile phone ban in US schools
2 months, 1 week ago

Democrat, Republican states unite in seeking mobile phone ban in US schools

India Today  

Sarah Huckabee Sanders and California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom have little in common ideologically, but the two have both been vocal supporters of an idea that’s been rapidly gaining bipartisan ground in the states: Students’ cellphones need to be banned during the school day. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, who has called on Congress to require warning labels on social media platforms about their effects on young people’s lives, has said schools need to provide phone-free times. “It doesn’t matter if you live in a big city or a rural town, urban or suburban, all children are struggling and need that seven-hour break from the pressures of phones and social media during the school day,” she said. At least eight states — California, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, South Carolina and Virginia — have enacted measures banning or restricting students’ use of cellphones in schools.

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History of this topic

UK Government blocks Conservative Party's attempt to ban mobile phones in school
1 week, 2 days ago

UK Government blocks Conservative Party's attempt to ban mobile phones in school

Hindustan Times  

The Government has blocked an attempt by the Conservative Party to ban children from having mobile phones in school. Conservative shadow education minister Neil O’Brien said children are suffering from back problems often seen in middle-aged people because of phone use, and said they were being exposed to violent pornography. The shift to smartphone-based childhood is also leading children to …

Phone bans sweep US schools despite skepticism
2 weeks, 4 days ago

Phone bans sweep US schools despite skepticism

Raw Story  

At a red-brick school in Virginia, Hayden Jones is one of 1,000 students banned from using their phones as part of a trial hoping to boost learning. That's a big concern for me," he said, adding that some pupils have found ways to still use their devices -- including by bringing a "dummy phone" to put in the pouch. - …

Kids are more social, schools report one year into phone ban at secondary schools
3 weeks, 2 days ago

Kids are more social, schools report one year into phone ban at secondary schools

NL Times  

It’s been just over a year since the Ministry of Education banned mobile phones in secondary school classrooms, and schools are noticing a marked improvement. “The awkward moment in the class is back,” Jeroen Bron, an economics teacher at the Montessory Lyceum Amsterdam in Amsterdam Zuid, told the newspaper. That way, that social moment is back.” “Students greet each other …

Denmark to ban mobile phones, tablets in schools and after-school clubs for children aged 7 to 17
3 weeks, 2 days ago

Denmark to ban mobile phones, tablets in schools and after-school clubs for children aged 7 to 17

Live Mint  

Denmark is set to ban mobile phones in schools and after-school clubs based on a recommendation of a government commission. The proposed law will prohibit mobile phones during lessons and breaks at primary and lower secondary schools, affecting children aged 7 to 17. "It risks destroying their self-esteem.” Denmark's Wellbeing Commission’s Findings The commission’s research revealed that 94 per cent …

Delhi HC calls total ban on students using mobile phones in schools unworkable
3 weeks, 3 days ago

Delhi HC calls total ban on students using mobile phones in schools unworkable

Hindustan Times  

A complete ban on students using mobile phones in schools is “undesirable and unworkable”, the Delhi high court has said, emphasising the need for a balanced approach in regulating the use. “Without detracting from deleterious and harmful effects that arise from the indiscriminate use and misuse of smartphones in schools, this court is of the view that smartphones also serve …

Results of student phone ban released
3 weeks, 3 days ago

Results of student phone ban released

ABC  

Andy Park: In recent years, education departments have moved to ban mobile phones in school settings across the country. A 12-month review of the school phone ban in South Australia shows a close to 60 per cent drop in social media related problems and a nearly 40 per cent decrease in behaviour issues linked to devices. Luke Radford: Victorian high …

Do bans on smartphones in schools improve mental health?
3 weeks, 5 days ago

Do bans on smartphones in schools improve mental health?

Hindustan Times  

France has not allowed smartphone use in primary or secondary schools since 2018, claiming that it would help children focus, reduce their social-media use and mitigate online bullying. The brain undergoes profound changes during puberty, meaning that any research on the effects of smartphone use needs to consider the developmental age of the children being studied as well as their …

Parents calling for phone bans in schools to improve their youngsters' classroom behaviour
3 weeks, 6 days ago

Parents calling for phone bans in schools to improve their youngsters' classroom behaviour

Daily Mail  

The vast majority of parents support phones being banned in schools and think it is the answer to curbing bad classroom behaviour, according to new research. Parents even ranked a total ban on phones ahead of imposing stricter classroom rules or reducing class sizes to improve behaviour. Two thirds of the teachers said they had to respond to pupils using …

79 Nations banned smartphones in schools amid learning concerns
1 month ago

79 Nations banned smartphones in schools amid learning concerns

India Today  

A total of 79 education systems globally opted for a ban on smartphones in schools as nations persist in debating how they affect teaching and student privacy, according to the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring team. 60 education systems - 30 percent of the entire registered globally had implemented bans on smartphones through different policies and legislation in favour of keeping …

Illinois governor to back ‘screen-free schools’ and join national trend to ban cellphones in class
1 month, 1 week ago

Illinois governor to back ‘screen-free schools’ and join national trend to ban cellphones in class

Associated Press  

JB Pritzker is aiming to improve student achievement, social interaction and the mental health of public school students by proposing a statewide ban on cellphones in classrooms, an idea that is rapidly gaining traction nationally regardless of political persuasion. The Democrat’s top education aide, Martin Torres, said Pritzker is expected to endorse “screen-free schools” during his combined State of the …

No major hitches on Day 1 without cellphones in L.A. Unified schools
1 month, 1 week ago

No major hitches on Day 1 without cellphones in L.A. Unified schools

LA Times  

Students at some schools in L.A. are storing their phones in magnetic pouches made by the Yondr company to comply with a new cellphone ban in Los Angeles Unified. A cellphone ban — covering some 800 schools — took effect Tuesday in the Los Angeles Unified School District, eliciting a mix of reactions but no reports of major problems. “I …

Brazil introduces law restricting smartphone use in schools amid concern over the impact on learning
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Brazil introduces law restricting smartphone use in schools amid concern over the impact on learning

Associated Press  

SAO PAULO — Brazilian students returned to class this week with a new task: staying away from their smartphones as a new law restricting their use in schools takes effect. Students return to class after recess during their first week in school under a new law restricting the use mobile phones in school classrooms at Porto Seguro School in Sao …

Brazil introduces law restricting smartphone use in schools amid concern over the impact on learning
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Brazil introduces law restricting smartphone use in schools amid concern over the impact on learning

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Brazilian students returned to class …

Mobile phone bans in schools not linked to grades or behavior of kids, says study
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Mobile phone bans in schools not linked to grades or behavior of kids, says study

Firstpost  

The study’s lead author, Dr Victoria Goodyear, told BBC, that the findings were not “against the ban of smartphones in schools but “what we’re suggesting is that those bans in isolation are not enough to tackle the negative impacts” Banning smartphones in schools has no real impact on improving grades and behaviours among students, a new study has found. The …

School phone bans DON'T work, scientists say - as they find no link to higher grades, improved mental wellbeing, or better physical health
1 month, 3 weeks ago

School phone bans DON'T work, scientists say - as they find no link to higher grades, improved mental wellbeing, or better physical health

Daily Mail  

For teachers and parents worried about their teenagers' smartphone use, banning phones in schools may seem like an obvious solution. Their analysis found no connection between phone bans and higher grades, improved mental wellbeing, or better physical health. A new study has poured cold water on the idea that phone bans in schools are beneficial for children as it shows …

Banning cellphones in schools gains popularity in red and blue states
2 months, 1 week ago

Banning cellphones in schools gains popularity in red and blue states

Associated Press  

— Arkansas’ Republican Gov. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, who has called on Congress to require warning labels on social media platforms about their effects on young people’s lives, has said schools need to provide phone-free times. Kim Whitman, co-founder of the Phone Free Schools Movement, said the issue is catching on because parents and teachers in both red and …

Classroom cellphone bans gain bipartisan momentum across US states
Top News
2 months, 1 week ago

Classroom cellphone bans gain bipartisan momentum across US states

India Today  

LITTLE ROCK: Arkansas’ Republican Gov. The push for cellphone bans has been driven by concerns about the impact screen time has on children’s mental health and complaints from teachers that cellphones have become a constant distraction in the classroom. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, who has called on Congress to require warning labels on social media platforms about their effects …

New Brazil law restricts use of smartphones in elementary and high schools
2 months, 1 week ago

New Brazil law restricts use of smartphones in elementary and high schools

Live Mint  

SAO PAULO — Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Monday signed a bill restricting the use of smartphones at school, following a global trend for such limitations. A survey released in October by Brazilian pollster Datafolha said that almost two-thirds of respondents supported banning the use of smartphones by children and teenagers at schools. “There's still a lot …

New Brazil law restricts use of smartphones in elementary and high schools
2 months, 1 week ago

New Brazil law restricts use of smartphones in elementary and high schools

Associated Press  

SAO PAULO — Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Monday signed a bill restricting the use of smartphones at school, following a global trend for such limitations. “We cannot allow humanism to be replaced by algorithms,” Lula said in a closed ceremony at the presidential palace in the capital, Brasilia, adding that the bill “acknowledges the work of …

Brazil restricts use of smartphones in elementary and high schools
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Brazil restricts use of smartphones in elementary and high schools

CNN  

AP — Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Monday signed a bill restricting the use of smartphones at school, following a global trend for such limitations. A survey released in October by Brazilian pollster Datafolha said that almost two-thirds of respondents supported banning the use of smartphones by children and teenagers at schools. “There’s still a lot of …

Confiscation. Calls home. Sealed pouches. Why schools struggle to ban cellphones
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Confiscation. Calls home. Sealed pouches. Why schools struggle to ban cellphones

LA Times  

Angelica Zamora-Reyes, a senior at Downtown Magnets High School, works on her smartphone at her home in Los Angeles in July. “That’s why rules limiting phone usage in a consistent manner for all in a given setting like schools are more likely to be effective than individual approaches by individual parents, or even individual teachers.” It also may be easier …

Just 18% of teachers think phone ban would improve pupil behaviour – poll
4 months ago

Just 18% of teachers think phone ban would improve pupil behaviour – poll

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Views are clearly mixed about whether mobile phones can be used as learning tools in …

It’s time to ‘divorce’ your children from their phones
4 months, 1 week ago

It’s time to ‘divorce’ your children from their phones

The Independent  

It’s a discussion that has become a weekly occurrence in Soban Bashir’s home: a “game” that many parents will be familiar with – one of stubbornly sticking to your guns, played on both sides. “Social media is doing harm to our kids and I’m calling time on it,” Albanese said during his announcement. “The thing is, asking the internet, rather …

‘Turned off and stored.’ LAUSD reveals details on school cellphone ban to begin Feb. 18
4 months, 2 weeks ago

‘Turned off and stored.’ LAUSD reveals details on school cellphone ban to begin Feb. 18

LA Times  

Students retrieve their cellphones from pouches where they are stored during the school day at Bayside Academy in San Mateo, Calif. Los Angeles Unified has offered the first details of what a cellphone-free school day will soon look like as educators attempt to break the digital-device obsession of a generation of students, aiming to get them off their screens and …

In this Florida school district, some parents are pushing back against a cell phone ban
4 months, 2 weeks ago

In this Florida school district, some parents are pushing back against a cell phone ban

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Since the beginning of the 2024 …

In this Florida school district, some parents are pushing back against a cellphone ban
4 months, 2 weeks ago

In this Florida school district, some parents are pushing back against a cellphone ban

Associated Press  

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — It’s no surprise that students are pushing back on cellphone bans in classrooms. But a survey sent out by the South Florida school district earlier this fall found that of the more than 70,000 students, teachers and parents surveyed, nearly one in five parents believe the cellphone ban is having a negative impact on their student’s wellbeing. …

UK Considers New Smartphone Bans for Children
5 months ago

UK Considers New Smartphone Bans for Children

Wired  

The UK parliament is considering clamping down on how young people use smartphones. A bill brought forward by a Labour member of parliament proposes both banning phones in schools and raising the age at which children can consent to social media companies using their data. Experts on the impact of digital technologies argue that the legislation could end up shutting …

Banning kids from using smartphones? Yeah, right!
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Banning kids from using smartphones? Yeah, right!

The Independent  

The debate around kids and smartphones has been rumbling on for about as long as they have been in existence. But this so-called Smartphone Free Childhood “pact” currently gaining momentum online – with campaigners urging education secretary Bridget Phillipson to take action to curb the use of smartphones in schools – has particularly irked me. This was especially true for …

Student phone access in California school districts will be restricted under new laws signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom making state the latest to limit cell phones in classrooms
6 months ago

Student phone access in California school districts will be restricted under new laws signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom making state the latest to limit cell phones in classrooms

Daily Mail  

California schools will be required to restrict students' smartphone usage under a new law amid growing concern over social media and children's mental health. California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law on Monday a bill that requires schools to limit or ban the use of smartphones, in an effort to minimize distractions in the classroom and 'help students focus on …

California orders schools to restrict cellphone use amid student distractions, anxiety
6 months ago

California orders schools to restrict cellphone use amid student distractions, anxiety

LA Times  

Students retrieve their cellphones from pouches where they are stored during the school day at Bayside Academy in San Mateo, Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday signed a bill into law that will require California school districts to restrict or ban student cellphone use, thrusting the state with the largest K-12 population in the nation into the forefront of a …

Opinion: Los Angeles school kids, get off your damn phones! You'll thank us later
6 months ago

Opinion: Los Angeles school kids, get off your damn phones! You'll thank us later

LA Times  

The Los Angeles Unified School District will ban cellphones in classrooms starting in January. About a week later, I found myself among hundreds of parents in a Zoom meeting that was billed as a chance for Los Angeles Unified School District parents to discuss the district’s new policy banning smartphones during the school day. That realization prompted one father to …

Sweden joins drive against excess screen time
6 months, 1 week ago

Sweden joins drive against excess screen time

China Daily  

Sweden's government has become the latest in Europe to work on drafting legislation banning mobile phones in schools because of the physical and mental damage being done to young people by excessive screen time. A lack of physical activity linked to excessive screen time was even resulting in youngsters developing physical ailments more usually associated with the elderly, he added, …

Academy with 35,000 pupils becomes first in England to ban smartphones
6 months, 1 week ago

Academy with 35,000 pupils becomes first in England to ban smartphones

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The Ormiston Academies Trust’s chief executive said the move was …

Will students really get off cellphones? California’s Phone-Free Schools Act, explained
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Will students really get off cellphones? California’s Phone-Free Schools Act, explained

LA Times  

William Schnider, a 17-year-old at Van Nuys High School and a student in the medical magnet program, has said he is against the cellphone ban announced by Los Angeles Unified School District. “We obviously require districts to take action by passing a policy to limit smartphone use, but we don’t tell them exactly how they have to do that.” Many …

France looking to ban phones in school
6 months, 3 weeks ago

France looking to ban phones in school

China Daily  

France is to try out a ban on mobile phones at school for students aged 15 and under in an effort to give youngsters a "digital pause". The report noted what it said was "a very clear consensus on the direct and indirect negative effects of digital devices on sleep, on being sedentary, a lack of physical activity, and the …

France looking to ban phones in school
6 months, 3 weeks ago

France looking to ban phones in school

China Daily  

By JULIAN SHEA in London | China Daily Global | Updated: 2024-08-29 09:41 France is to try out a ban on mobile phones at school for students aged 15 and under in an effort to give youngsters a "digital pause". The report noted what it said was "a very clear consensus on the direct and indirect negative effects of digital …

California passes school cellphone restrictions. But some students find workarounds
6 months, 3 weeks ago

California passes school cellphone restrictions. But some students find workarounds

LA Times  

Student use their cellphones after unlocking the pouches that secure them from use during the school day at Bayside Academy in San Mateo. David and former Dymally teacher Ryan Quinn said students have brought multiple phones to school or bought their own magnet to unlock the pouch — and some even charge other students to use it. This way, Johnson …

Minister working on plans to ban mobile phones in secondary schools
7 months ago

Minister working on plans to ban mobile phones in secondary schools

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Mobile phones could be banned in secondary schools under plans being considered by …

Editorial: Yes, more schools should ban student cellphones
7 months, 1 week ago

Editorial: Yes, more schools should ban student cellphones

LA Times  

William Schnider, a 17-year-old rising senior at Van Nuys High School, is against the upcoming cellphone ban in Los Angeles schools but says he understands why it is going to be enacted. Opinion Opinion: Why LAUSD should ban smartphones in schools L.A.’s principals and teachers need a policy aligned with current research, which shows that curbing phone use in schools …

American parents want their children to have phones in schools
7 months, 2 weeks ago

American parents want their children to have phones in schools

Live Mint  

“It’s like they don’t trust us,” says Eva King, a 14-year-old pupil at Alice Deal Middle School in Washington, DC. “It would be unrealistic to expect that one thing—social media—is driving adolescent mental health.” Most parents want their children to have phones available at school. In February the National Parents Union, an advocacy group, polled 1,506 public-school parents and found …

California lawmakers continue push to regulate social media despite legal hurdles
8 months ago

California lawmakers continue push to regulate social media despite legal hurdles

LA Times  

Legislation being considered in California would prohibit social media companies from sending children notifications at night and during school hours. “We need to act now to protect our children,” Bonta said earlier this year, by “strengthening data privacy protections for minors and safeguarding youth against social media addiction.” California Gov. Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg apologized to those attending a …

Labour WON'T ban mobile phones for under-16s despite calls from Brianna Ghey's mother - as Keir Starmer hints at controls on social media
8 months, 2 weeks ago

Labour WON'T ban mobile phones for under-16s despite calls from Brianna Ghey's mother - as Keir Starmer hints at controls on social media

Daily Mail  

Keir Starmer has said he is not in favour of banning mobile phone for under-16s - but hinted at controls on social media use. Asked whether he limits his 13-year-old daughter and 16-year-old son's mobile phone use, Sir Keir told ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'Our children have mobile phones and I'm not in favour of simply banning them for children …

Virginia joins other states with effort to restrict cellphones in schools
8 months, 2 weeks ago

Virginia joins other states with effort to restrict cellphones in schools

Associated Press  

FALLS CHURCH, Va. — Virginia on Tuesday joined a growing number of states that are pushing for cellphone restrictions in public schools, citing concerns over students’ academic achievement and mental health. The National Center for Education Statistics reported that 76% of public schools prohibited “non-academic cell phone use” during the 2021-2022 school year. For example, Loudoun County Public Schools, in …

Teachers want to expand mobile phone ban at secondary schools after early success
9 months ago

Teachers want to expand mobile phone ban at secondary schools after early success

NL Times  

Secondary school teachers are generally positive about the government guideline to ban smartphones in the classroom. Most believe the ban led to more calm and concentration in the class, and more than half want to expand the guideline to ban phones from school altogether, according to a survey of 4,206 secondary school staff members by the teacher’s union AOb. According …

Opinion: Smartphones have silenced kids, and that isn’t a good thing. Hooray for LAUSD’s ban
9 months ago

Opinion: Smartphones have silenced kids, and that isn’t a good thing. Hooray for LAUSD’s ban

LA Times  

A high school student look at her phone in 2019. Now, our letter writers are once again united, but this time in praise: With barely any exceptions, they’re writing in approval of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s ban on phones during the school day. To the editor: I just finished my 29th year teaching high school English and would …

Gavin Newsom Will Work To Restrict Smartphones In California Schools
9 months, 1 week ago

Gavin Newsom Will Work To Restrict Smartphones In California Schools

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday he would support efforts to remove smartphones from schools, a day after the U.S. surgeon general called for a warning label to be applied to social media platforms. “As the Surgeon General affirmed, social media is harming the mental health of our youth,” Newsom said in a statement Tuesday. Surgeon General …

Los Angeles moves to ban smartphone use in school
9 months, 1 week ago

Los Angeles moves to ban smartphone use in school

Raw Story  

Education bosses in Los Angeles voted Tuesday to work towards a complete ban on the use of smartphones in the city’s schools. “Schools that have…already implemented a phone-free school day report incredible results — kids are happier, they’re talking to one another, their academics are up,” said board member Nick Melvoin, who proposed the ban. It says eliminating phone and …

Can LAUSD's cellphone ban help break kids' addiction?
9 months, 1 week ago

Can LAUSD's cellphone ban help break kids' addiction?

LA Times  

Smartphones in schools are distracting for students, and honor codes dictating no phone use make more work for teachers and staff who then have to police their use. It will not be easy, but schools are the best place to curb the overuse of cellphones and help break the addiction, writes columnist Robin Abcarian: “It’s very difficult to control our …

California governor wants to restrict smartphone usage in schools
9 months, 1 week ago

California governor wants to restrict smartphone usage in schools

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday that he wants to restrict students’ usage of smartphones during the school day, citing the mental health risks of social media. “We support legislation which empowers school leaders to make policy decisions at a local level that reflect their community’s concerns and what’s necessary to support their students,” spokesperson Troy Flint …

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