Most Poles like this government ban. Let’s analyze

Should students be banned from using smartphones in schools? This is what most Poles say. What do the research say about this and what is the attitude of the Ministry of National Education towards the regulations?

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They were banned in the UK and Norway. They want the same thing in Poland. Experts warn about huge consequences and changes in the brain comparable to drug addiction. We’re talking about smartphones. It is difficult to ban them in a world where technology surrounds us on every side, but it is even more difficult to give full consent to their use anytime and anywhere, mainly by children and teenagers. How to find the right balance? We asked experts and government officials.

Ban on smartphones in schools

In recent years, the topic of banning smartphones in schools has gained popularity, not only in Poland, but all over the world. This type of solution has already been introduced in several countries. The list includes Norway, where the Ministry of Education issued a recommendation to local authorities to completely eliminate mobile phones from students’ school lives. Educational institutions on their own, often in cooperation with students, developed internal regulations that implemented the ban.

The situation is similar in Great Britain. There, schools were also advised to introduce a ban on using mobile phones during lessons. This is not a top-down ban, but many institutions agreed with this position.

What does the research say?

Even UNESCO took up the topic and conducted its own research. The 2023 report reveals that smartphone use in schools has many negative consequences. First of all, phones are an ideal distraction, which makes it difficult for students to focus on learning. Despite this, only one in four countries in the world has banned smartphones in schools.

We must learn from past mistakes when using technology in education so as not to repeat them in the future. We need to teach children to live both with and without technology. Teach how to draw from the abundance of information and get what you need, but how to ignore what is not necessary. Allow technology to support but never replace human interaction in teaching and learning.

– said Manos Antoninis, author of research for UNESCO.

Many other studies also confirm that smartphones have a very negative impact on children. There are, of course, also positive aspects of using the new technology, but in this case the disadvantages significantly outweigh the advantages. First of all, problems with concentration, social isolation, reduction of physical activity and other mental problems are indicated.

The Department of Psychiatry at Yale and the Columbia School of Nursing studied the effects of screens on 9- and 10-year-olds. It turned out that children who used electronic devices too much had a much greater chance of developing changes in their brains, which were then associated with numerous problems, including educational ones. Scientists noted, among other things, the inability to complete tasks, low curiosity, difficulty in making friends, greater difficulty in raising such children, and lower self-control.

Meanwhile, the results of the Founding Research of the National Media Institute show that in 2022 as many as 42.7 percent children aged 4-9 used smartphones in Poland. In the 10-15 age category, this percentage is already 91.5%. Should such a ban also be introduced in Poland?

They want to ban smartphones in Polish schools

This is supported by, among others, the Institute of Civil Affairs, which demands a ban on smartphones in Polish schools. To this end, he is trying to convince the Ministry of Education to introduce top-down regulations that would eliminate mobile phones from educational institutions.

The smartphone is as addictive as alcohol, cigarettes or cocaine. Today, it is forbidden to bring alcohol, cigarettes and cocaine to schools. It’s time to ban smartphones. The current Polish education law is not sufficient. It is true that it creates the basis for limiting the freedom to use telecommunications and electronic devices under the school statute, but as practice shows, these rules are interpreted differently – some schools have introduced restrictions on the use of mobile devices in their statutes, e.g. during lessons, but many students sit during breaks. staring at the screens. Putting phones away in the classroom still does not solve the problem – the fact that the phone is in a close space, “in sight”, activates the mechanism of waiting for notifications, which makes it difficult for students to concentrate.

– says Rafał Górski, president of the Institute of Civil Affairs, in an interview with TELEPOLIS.PL.

Rafał Górski mentions research from 2020 titled “Structural and functional correlates of smartphone addiction”. They show that people addicted to smartphones may experience similar changes in the brain as people addicted to drugs. He also mentions the previously mentioned Norway, where the introduction of the ban resulted in a 60% reduction. the number of visits by students seeking psychological and therapeutic help from specialists and family doctors. Students are also less likely to be bullied by peers and have better grades.

What does the Ministry of National Education say about this?

For this purpose, the Institute of Civil Affairs maintains open correspondence with the Ministry of National Education, convincing Minister Barbara Nowacka to introduce a ban on smartphones in Polish educational institutions. The thing is that the ministry is not keen on this for now. The Minister of Education has repeatedly emphasized that she has no plans to introduce regulations that would ban the use of mobile phones in schoolswhich the Ministry of National Education also confirms in the position sent to our questions.

Any change to the regulations regarding the use of electronic devices by students will be subject to public consultations, which will enable all interested entities to express their opinions. Currently, however, the Ministry of National Education is not conducting legislative work in this area.

– we read in the statement sent to us.

At the same time, the Ministry of National Education emphasizes that the Education Law gives every school the opportunity to introduce solutions regarding the use of mobile phones and other digital devices at school. The regulations also oblige schools to define in their statutes the student’s obligations regarding compliance with the conditions for bringing and using mobile phones and other electronic devices on school premises.

However, the Ombudsman has a slightly different position on this matter. In 2023, Ph.D. Marcin Wiącek stated that the regulations introducing a ban on bringing mobile phones to school are contrary to property rights. Therefore, educational institutions must not excessively and disproportionately restrict students’ rights and freedoms.

Statutes also include provisions limiting property rights, such as a complete ban on bringing phones to school or the possibility of taking electronic devices from students. School statutes must not excessively or disproportionately restrict students’ rights and freedoms.

– we read on the website of the Commissioner for Human Rights.

The ban is already in force there

Meanwhile, there is a school in Poland that has successfully introduced a ban on the use of mobile phones by students. We are talking about Primary School No. 113 in Wrocław, which is part of the School and Kindergarten Complex No. 1. Initially, one 10-minute break was introduced there, during which students could use phones. It operated for 4 years, but educators noticed that it had very negative consequences. After this break and before it, the students already had problems with concentration because they were thinking about using the smartphone. Additionally, cases of hate were noticed on the Internet, e.g. on WhatsApp.

We held a debate with students and parents. The students expected an increase in the number of breaks, but the adults observing their behavior had a different opinion. We also listened to psychologists who spoke about the negative impact of phones on children’s development, that we are currently dealing with the first generation that grows up without play (because it was replaced by the phone), and we decided to act. The ban introduced concerned breaks, and phones may be used for teaching purposes during lessons. Students can also bring phones to school. However, we ask you to turn them off.

– reveals to TELEPOLIS.PL Marta Hołub, director of the School and Kindergarten Complex No. 1 in Wrocław.

The principal of Primary School No. 113 in Wrocław believes that the idea turned out to be a success. The total ban has been in force for several months and during this time, teachers have noticed, among other things, improved concentration among students. According to the teacher, school is also happier because the children started talking to each other more often. Of course, there are cases of breaking the ban, but they are supposed to be sporadic.

Importantly, the school not only took something from the students, in this case access to phones, but also gave something. Among other things, the School Citizens’ Budget was invented, under which students decide themselves what they want to spend their money on. In this way, a relaxation zone and a collection of board games were created. A sports club mural also appeared on one of the school walls, and the children decided what it would look like.

We showed them that if we agree on something, both parties are consistent – when it comes to the ban on using phones during breaks and the willingness of students to decide what they want to change at school.

– Marta Hołub, the school’s principal, tells us.

Of course, the children did not like the ban at first, but eventually they accepted it. Some parents also had their doubts because they wanted to have constant contact with their children. However, this is still possible because students can use the phone in case of emergency.

Poles want a ban

Do Poles want to ban smartphones in schools at all? It turns out that yes. The Pollster Research Institute, commissioned by Super Express, conducted a survey in which it asked Poles whether there should be a ban on using mobile phones in schools. As much as 67 percent people supported the introduction of such regulations.

So will we ever see them? It is known that the Ministry of National Education is preparing research on this matter to determine the impact of smartphones on children and adolescents. The ministry, like Norway and Great Britain, is also to prepare guidelines for educational institutions. This will not be a top-down ban applicable in every school, but only recommendations. Therefore, it will be up to schools whether phones will continue to be used by students.