Catalonia considering banning mobile phones in classrooms and restricting screens to children

The Department of Education has proposed extending the ban on mobile phones in the classroom to all educational stages and restricting the use of screens to preschoolers.

The department will task the new Commission for Responsible Digitalization with evaluating these two measures, as explained on Tuesday by the Minister of Education, Esther Niubó.

Currently, the use of mobile phones in the classroom is no longer allowed in preschoolers or primary schools, but is allowed in secondary schools for educational purposes. Now, the education department wants to go further extend the ban to other age groups.

Niubó has commissioned an audit to evaluate how digital devices are being used in classrooms. She has instructed the commission to evaluate whether mobile phones should be completely banned at all educational stages.

According to the minister, they receive "complaints and comments" from families and educational centers that point out that perhaps "we could do without" mobile phones completely in classrooms and that this would "avoid or limit the pressure" when it comes to giving children and adolescents a mobile phone.

Fifty experts to make recommendations

Niubó announced these proposals after chairing the first meeting of the Commission for Responsible Digitalization.

The group is made up of around 50 professionals and representatives of organizations and entities related to digital development, as well as school directors, teachers and academics.

The coordinator will be the doctor in Educational Sciences, Màrius Martínez.

The commission is divided into two groups. The first is made up of professionals from different fields who know the effects of the use of digital devices and their consequences. They will be responsible for making a diagnosis of the situation and the problems detected.

The second group is made up of professionals from socio-educational fields who are familiar with the use of screens and digital environments in the school context and also with digital literacy.

This group will start from the initial diagnosis and develop criteria on the uses of screens in the school context.

This diagnosis will address both the use of devices for educational purposes and their informal use.