The number of countries that ban cell phone use in schools is increasing rapidly and, according to the results of studies carried out in Belgium, Spain and the United Kingdom, this measure is giving good results.
UNESCO, which presents the results this Friday on the occasion of International Education Day, explains that if at the end of 2023 the number of educational systems that applied these restrictions on cell phone use was 60, at the beginning of January 2025 the figure It already amounted to 79 countries.
The data appears in a special update of the GEM Report (Global Education Monitoring Report) prepared by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to monitor progress in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals.
“Students – the organization highlights – have to learn the risks and opportunities that technology entails and not be totally protected from them. But countries have to provide better guidance on what technology is allowed in school and what is not, and on its responsible use,” he highlights in a statement.
“Only technology that has a clear function of supporting learning should be allowed in school,” he adds.
With the 79 counted, around 40% of the educational systems adhering to the GEM Report have implemented restrictions on cell phone use, compared to 30% at the end of 2023.
You may be interested in: It has been 5 years since China confined Wuhan, the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic
Removing cell phones from schools improves learning results: study
In addition to this increase, some countries and regions have chosen to tighten existing measures.
For example, in France it has been suggested to extend the so-called “digital pause” to more courses, or in China, where cities like Zhengzhou now ask parents for written consent to use cell phones even for pedagogical purposes.
Less common have been the cases in which measures have been made more flexible, such as in Saudi Arabia, which has reversed its bans due to opposition expressed by disability advocacy groups, so that cell phones could be used for medical purposes.
In some countries the restriction levels are heterogeneous depending on regional specificities, such as in Spain, where only 3 of the 17 regions (Basque Country, La Rioja and Navarra) have already introduced prohibitions.
The removal of cell phones from schools, according to studies carried out in Belgium, Spain and the United Kingdom cited in the GEM report, improves learning results, especially in the case of students who obtained the worst results.
It has also been shown to be beneficial in combating bullying and improving concentration and self-esteem in the face of the harmful effects of social networks, particularly among girls.
With information from EFE.
Do you use Facebook more? Leave us a like to be informed
