The Netherlands: Ban on cell phones in Dutch schools launched

Ban on cell phones in Dutch schools launched
aachener-zeitung.de/, 2 September 2024 - auto-translation

Mobile phones are now taboo during lessons in the Netherlands. The reasoning is that children learn and concentrate better this way.

(Photo): The introduction of a ban on mobile phones in Dutch schools was not without controversy. (Symbolic image) Photo: Jens Kalaene/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa

Since Monday, all Dutch schools have been banning mobile phones during lessons. After mobile phones have been taboo in secondary schools since the beginning of the year, the ban has now also been introduced in primary schools with the start of the new school year. The Ministry of Education in The Hague justified the move by saying that mobile phones distract pupils and reduce their ability to concentrate, which has a negative impact on their learning performance.

However, mobile phones may still be used in the classroom if they are necessary for the content of the lesson, for example if it is about media literacy. Students may also use a mobile phone if they need one for medical reasons or because of a disability. The practical implementation of the mobile phone ban can be worked out by the local schools.

Cell phone ban during breaks also has a positive effect

In schools where cell phones are banned even during recess, the atmosphere improves, reported broadcaster NOS. "Recesses are more sociable because students talk to each other more often," said researcher Loes Pouwels from Radboud University in Nijmegen.

A ban on cell phones in schools had previously been the subject of controversial debate in the Netherlands. Various ministers of education initially did not believe in a centralized nationwide regulation and school administrators also argued for local regulations, the broadcaster reported. At the same time, a number of parents argued that children of primary school age should not have smartphones at all, precisely because of the addictive potential of social media.

Like the Netherlands, Greece and Italy have also banned cell phones from classrooms, and Germany has been discussing such a step for some time. Following a recent study, the OECD, an organization of industrialized countries, recommended the responsible use of cell phones in school lessons.

(dpa)

Original article in German: 

https://www.aachener-zeitung.de/region-nrw/niederlande/handyverbot-an-niederlaendischen-schulen-gestartet/18932451.html