Should phones be excluded from classrooms ?

© Jonas Leupe/Unsplash

Should France take the same path as England and ban mobile phones from colleges&amp ;nbsp;? This question resurfaced as Nicole Belloubet, Minister of National Education, spoke on France Inter on April 7 for the program < em>Political questions. “ The impact [of] social networks for young people is absolutely catastrophic&amp ;nbsp;» she insisted, suggesting that the “ digital break ” would be a lever for action to fight against cyberharassment. However, is this ban really the solution to the ills it claims to cure??

A limited impact against cyberbullying

We already know that the smartphone is not beneficial to concentration, an observation which is particularly true among the youngest. A media questionnaire JAM relayed by the Ramsay Santé corporate foundation to 500 young people reveals rather alarming figures.

« Young people aged between 15 and 25 report having a harmful, even toxic, relationship with their cell phone: 38 % declare themselves addicts and 34% describe their relationship as negative (i.e. a total of 72% of critical opinions)” can we read on the Ramsay website. 31% also noted that “ that their excessive use of screens disrupted their sleep” and 8% to estimate that “Their excessive use of screens has a direct impact on their studies”.

However, with regard to the cyberharassment highlighted by Belloubet, she neglects that this, by definition, can very well continue outside the walls of the college. This study published in 2022 in the journal Behavioral Sciences reveals that in reality, banning smartphones n’is not the miracle solution to harassment. Measures more targeted at prevention rather than prohibition would be favored.

The smartphone, the enemy of learning ?

A more recent PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) survey clearly demonstrates that the use of the telephone during lessons is & #8217;turns out be seriously disruptive for the acquisition of knowledge.

« The students who spend between 40 and 60 hours per week (weekends included) on digital devices in France (14% of students) obtained results 17 points lower in mathematics than those who “ only spend between 20 and 40 hours” per week (weekend included) (36 % of students) » reveals this study. We are talking here about extreme cases and truly excessive use.

However, according to this same study, “ In France, 30% of 15-year-old students report being distracted by the use of digital devices (smartphones, websites, applications) in most or almost all mathematics lessons (same average in countries of the 'OECD) and 27% said they were distracted by other students who were using them during lessons (OECD average: 25% of students)  “. Results that are cause for concern.

Banning mobile smartphones in colleges may seem like an attractive idea, but as always, the strictly prohibitionist approach involves obvious limits. The forbidden attracts, stirs up desires and does not solve the problem at the source. The solution could instead lie in a more balanced approach to the issue, possibly including education on the proper use of technologies and stronger measures against cyberharassment.< /p>

• The debate on banning cell phones in middle schools resurfaces, after statements by Nicole Belloubet, Minister of National Education.
• L& #8217;the argument deployed revolved around the fact that cell phones encourage cyberharassment.
• In reality, banning cell phones would only have a negative effect on the situation. #8217;a limited effect on harassment. However, their excessive use is indeed an obstacle to the learning process.

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