Mobile phones and other smart watches disrupt children’s learning and should therefore be banned in secondary schools, the Dutch government said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Hague asks the country’s school management to agree on an internal regulation in October with teachers, parents and students to remove these devices from the classroom as of January.
“There is increasing evidence that mobile phones have a deleterious effect during lessons,” La Haye said. “Students may concentrate less and their performance suffers.”
In a letter to the lower house of parliament, Education Minister Robert Dijkgraaf says he expects a “cultural transformation that will positively affect the learning climate in classrooms.”
For a better “learning environment”
“In 2023, mobile phones are an essential part of our daily lives,” he writes. “They provide access to information, connect people and form a single important tool in modern society. However, their role in the classroom is increasingly being questioned,” Dijkgraaf continued.
The Minister explains that he has had discussions on this issue for several months with teachers, scientists, parents and students. “All parties involved emphasize the importance of a learning environment in which students can focus and participate.”
According to Dijkgraaf, scientific studies “have shown that the non-educational use of mobile phones harms” this environment.
Mark Rutte’s centre-right coalition government has yet to issue a formal classroom phone ban but states it reserves the right to do so after an initial assessment of the situation in June 2024.
Source: BFM TV
