New mobile phone ban: Schools in MV can rethink regulations!

New mobile phone ban: Schools in MV can rethink regulations!

Schwerin, Deutschland - In the coming school year, many students in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are facing important changes. According to a recommendation from the Schwerin Ministry of Education, students should not use private smartphones on the school premises up to the ninth grade. Minister Simone Oldenburg (left) said that teachers can decide whether private smartphones can be used in class. This decision is justified by the fact that digital devices offer many advantages, but can also cause distraction, bullying and the spread of problematic content. At the end of this school year, the recommendation will be sent to schools that can revise or re -establish their regulations in the first half of the new school year. Oldenburg emphasizes that there will be no binding requirements in order to give schools freedom for their own regulations. She sees the integration of digital devices in a school media education concept as useful.

In most schools in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, computers, laptops and tablets are already available to advance digital education. The aim is to prepare children and adolescents for the responsible use of digital technologies.

discussion about mobile phone bans

The discussion about a possible mobile phone ban in schools is also getting louder in other parts of Germany. A current study shows that young people in Germany spend an average of 36.9 hours a week on the smartphone. It is particularly striking that 50 percent of 11 to 17 year olds receive at least 237 notifications every day, part of them during school. The question of whether schools in Germany should take similar measures to abroad is increasingly being discussed controversially. In countries such as Finland, Denmark and England have already been banned from smartphones in schools, which has led to improved learning services.

Although some studies have been able to prove positive effects of a cell phone ban on learning success, others show that there are no significant improvements. In a British study from 2016, schools with cell phone bans achieved better test results, especially with low -performance students. In contrast, a Swedish study in 2019 could not prove any positive effects because the lessons were heavily digitized. The results of these studies give experts the reason to insist on a differentiated assessment of the situation and to suggest a moderate approach to the political decision -makers.

experts warn of digital overload

An appeal by 75 experts from pedagogy and medicine has warned the current federal government before continuing digitization in the education system. The experts demand to rethink the digital educational concept in schools and speak out for smartphone-free schools. They argue that early digitization can have a negative impact on the physical and intellectual development of children and adolescents. At the same time, they indicate a falling performance in basic education areas, the causes of which could also be excessive use of digital media.

International trends show that more and more education systems, including 79 in countries such as Sweden and Spain, restrict digitization in schools or prohibit them. Experts are calling for a reversal in education policy, a holistic approach, critical thinking, social skills and cultural education.