Switzerland: Mobile phone ban at schools: a first step towards protection - but the basic problem remains unattended

Mobile phone ban at schools: a first step towards protection - but the basic problem remains unattended
Sources: Wiler newspaper; ajour.ch and pomona.ch, posted by Verein Schutz vor Strahlung, 1st June 2025 - translation

Nidwalden intervenes: As the first German-Swiss canton, it passes a uniform ban on private digital devices in schools. Meanwhile, other cantons continue to rely on self-responsibility - ignoring a central question: What role does the influence of radiation play in school?

Starting from the new school year, children and young people will no longer be allowed to use private phones, tablets and laptops in Nidwalden on the school premises. Exceptions are for educational purposes or emergencies only. The Directorate of Education justifies this decision with the increasing use of such devices and the desire to promote conscious use. The new regulation applies to both primary and secondary schools.

Interestingly, the initiative for the ban was not based on politics, but from the schools themselves. They have only formalized existing practices, according to the tenor. And in fact: In many Swiss schools, there is already an actual ban on using it during classes. Nidwalden now adds more pressure to it with a cantonal directive - also as a signal.

Other cantons hesitate - or trust self-regulation

While Nidwalden is gaining national attention with its leadership, other cantons are showing themselves significantly more restrained. This is how Schwyz, Lucerne and Zug recently rejected a superior regulation. The schools had the issue covered, it's said. There is currently no need for action in Upper Wales either. Although the school district Visp also records an earlier use of mobile phones, it adheres to a moderate regulation: the device remains stored during the lesson, and it can be used during breaks outside the schoolhouse.

School principal Urs Giger stresses that a total ban is not a solution - young people should learn to handle digital devices responsibly. An argument that often falls - but it's also comfortable when you look closer. Because it blinds out a central dimension: the biological effect of digital media through electromagnetic radiation.

The unspoken danger: Permanent radiation in the school environment

Media-pedagogical and social-psychological considerations dominate the current debate: addiction potential, distraction, cyberbullying, data protection. These are, without question, relevant. However, an equally important perspective remains systematically underexposed: the question of the health effects of electromagnetic radiation, especially in children and adolescents.

Smartphones, tablets and laptops are not just means of communication - they are also radios. And they emit continuous high frequency electromagnetic radiation when not in flight mode. This so-called non-ionizing radiation is suspected to increase, especially in children, the risk of sleep disorders, problems with concentration and long-term cell changes. The bodies of adults are more sensitive, their skulls are thinner, the central nervous system is still in development.

We welcome the current developments as a small but important step. But from a radiation-critical point of view, the only ban on cell phones on school premises is too short. Because many schools are now equipped with wide-ranging WiFi, interactive whiteboards and wireless tablets. This means permanent, often non-reflected, continuous radiation in everyday school life – especially where children spend many hours a day.

Therefore, the association demands protection from radiation: cell phone bans must not be discussed in isolation. Finally, a comprehensive review of the digital infrastructure in schools is needed - taking into account current scientific findings on radiation exposure. This includes not only clear regulations for the use of mobile end devices, but also the switch to wired technologies, radiation-free zones in classrooms and a wide range of education for teachers, parents and policymakers.

The protection of children's health must be the top priority - and must not be sacrificed to the "progress narrative" or economic interests. Technology is meant for learning, not for risk. The political will to protect children from unnecessary radiation is overdue.

Sources: Wiler newspaper; ajour.ch and pomona.ch