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INPRIMATU
Should mobile phones be banned in school? Debate on the laws being prepared in Catalonia
  • They want to legally limit the use of mobile phones in schools and institutes in Catalonia. In our case, what is the general trend? In the Northern Basque Country, students until the end of high school cannot bring smartphone to school, but in the South the decision is made by each center.
Mikel Garcia Idiakez @mikelgi 2023ko irailaren 20a
2019an Espainiako Gobernuak iragarri zuen eskola eta institutuetan mugikorraren erabilera arautzea aztertuko zuela. Argazkia: Forumbilding / Openverse

The maximum organ of each center (among teachers, parents and students) decides whether to take mobile phones to school in Hego Euskal Herria. In many schools, students can only use their phones during recess, but it is difficult to control that in class they are not talking about smarphones. Many schools have directly banned moving your cell phone to the center, seeing that during school hours students wake up the sounds of mobile notification, spend time glued to the screen during recess and often record with their cellmates and teachers without permission.

They are convinced that they have not been banned, that children and young people must be taught to make proper use of mobile and that this is a pedagogically excellent tool, while supporters of authorising mobile at school are convinced. Only during recess, many see well that personal rest time can be used on demand and offers spaces to socialize mobiles and connect with the world.

However, many schools are clear about this: although they do not give up digital skills, mobile authorization leads to more headaches and in practice other non-pedagogical uses predominate. There are municipalities where local institutes have met to agree on a ban on mobiles.

Many schools are clear: authorizing the mobile phone leads to more headaches and in practice other non-pedagogical uses predominate.

The Department of Health of the Generalitat has also expressed concern about the dependency that screens are generating and is drafting a law regulating their use. However, the Department of Education of the Generalitat continues to argue that each center should make the decision, as is done in Hego Euskal Herria.

After the French Government banned mobiles in early childhood, primary and secondary education, in 2019 the Spanish Government announced that it would study the regulation of mobile use in schools and institutes, and the topic sparked debate, but ultimately they did not take regulatory steps.