This school year, more schools will be banning smartphones. Many children will not be happy about this, but it is the best thing that can happen to them.
Smartphoneverbod op school
The smartphone ban at schools is largely regulated by law. Since 1 January 2024, it has no longer been permitted to use a smartphone at secondary schools, and since this new school year, primary schools have also been included. The subject is also being considered in further education. For example, the MBO Council announced earlier this year that it wants to ban smartphones at MBO schools.
For students who were already used to spending the whole day with their phone, this will take some getting used to. I grew up in a time when you had to start up a desktop computer to read your email. Now you are reachable in dozens of different messaging apps all day long, and you find endless distractions via social media and countless games. That is hard to let go.
It can also be exciting. Especially if you are used to your parents always being close by, because you can call them at any time or send them a message if something happens. Without a smartphone, you are on your own again.
Nokia met Snake
Dangerous with such a subject is to think ‘as my youth was, everyone should have it’. When I was in primary school, mobile phones were hardly a thing in the Netherlands. In secondary school we had a Nokia en masse, on which you could only play Snake. Only when I went to college did the devices become a bit smarter, but still the things you could do remained limited.
What I do know for sure is that if I had had a smartphone in my pocket during those years that could do as much as modern devices, I would have had a much harder time and probably wouldn’t have gotten this far. At school, you have to be able to concentrate for longer periods of time. You have to listen, absorb information and do something with it. That already asks a lot of someone who is not constantly distracted.
Having to live without a smartphone at school is something that children and young people can benefit from for the rest of their lives. It makes them learn to focus on one thing and concentrate for longer. It makes it easier for them to make social connections and maintain friendships. These skills will benefit you a lot later in life. In that sense, a smartphone ban is a gift.
Good example
We are now more aware than ever of the effect that smartphones have on our lives. We can no longer live without them and we should not want to. But we can set a good example if we are concerned about the youth. Teachers should not use their smartphones in the classroom either. And if you want your children to spend less time behind a screen at home, you should also stop doing so yourself.
The biggest criticism of the smartphone ban is that students are less reachable in case of emergency. But how big is that problem really? Parents can call the school in case of emergency, and students can pick up their smartphone at the reception desk in case of emergency. In all other cases, it is not so bad that these parties let go of each other a bit during school hours. That is also part of growing up.
Activate School Mode on Android
Google introduced a new school mode this summer. School Time lets you lock your child’s smartphone while they’re at school, but also lets you make exceptions for specific apps.
Source: www.androidplanet.nl
