Austria lags behind – mobile phones in schools: experts now call for a ban

Sound! Sound! Parents know this sound. Because their descendants are organized into different social media groups in which messages are constantly being sent. The smartphone is a constant companion of Generation Alpha (birth dates from 2010), who do not even know life without the internet. According to a current Google study, children in Austria aged 10 and over receive their first mobile phone on average. Nearly half spend one to three hours a day online.

School matters are exchanged just as quickly as meeting places in free time. But surfing the Internet comes with enormous risks. Children and young people can easily become victims, either through cyberbullying or false role models online. Teachers are annoyed that people often gamble during breaks or even in class. Smartphones have long been banned in classrooms in Italy, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands and Britain, and more and more experts are calling for a strict ban here too.

Draconian punishments in Greek schools
Even in digitally advanced Latvia, younger students are not allowed to use mobile phones. France started this in 2018. Mobile phones may not be used in class or during breaks. This scheme applies to everyone up to the age of 15.

Young Greeks face especially draconian punishments. “Students are allowed to bring their mobile phones to school, but they must keep them in their school bags throughout the school day,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said. Because countless scientific data show that cell phone use during the school day has a devastating effect on the learning process.

Anyone caught typing must stay away from class for a day. In case of recurrence, teachers can exclude students from class for several days. And anyone who films classmates or teachers without permission will be kicked out.

Minister of Education relies on school autonomy
In Germany, Armin Schwarz (CDU), Minister of Education in Hesse, makes an attempt and calls for national regulations. Because among our neighbors, the use of smartphones is (still) left to the schools, just like in Austria.

“We focus here on personal responsibility, which is school autonomy. Every school – including teachers, parents and students – looks at what the best solution is for them and how they want to regulate the use of mobile phones,” says Minister of Education Martin Polaschek (ÖVP). Many educational institutions have already found great solutions with cell phone garages, cell phone hotels and more.

“To ensure that children and young people can behave responsibly, we have introduced the compulsory subject of digital primary education in secondary school. But media literacy is also learned in a playful way at primary school,” Polaschek continues. These are important steps to prepare young people for the challenges of the digital world.

Smartphone coach and “clear rules”
The mobile phone problem has also arrived in the countries. However, every educational board has a different approach to this. Lower Austrian Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner and State Councilor Christiane Teschl-Hofmeister recently invited people to a round of discussions in the St. Pöltner Landhaus to discuss the use of mobile phones with school principals, ‘smartphone coach’ Andrea Buhl-Aigner and representatives of the staff of compulsory school teachers to have a serious word. The panel of experts should now be the starting signal to focus on educational institutions in the coming months.

Buhl-Aigner showed how you can make agreements with children and young people through targeted communication on an equal basis and guide them safely through the digital world. With the ‘Connect with Care’ initiative, the two principals Hemma Poledna from Klosterneuburg secondary school and Sabine Puchinger from Bruck an der Leitha have shown how this subject can be approached and thus raise awareness among parents and students.

For example, the BG Klosterneuburg was declared a mobile phone-free zone together with the students during the morning; There are, among other things, exceptions to the teaching subject ‘Digital Basic Education’. Children and young people need support when it comes to media use, Poledna is sure and emphasizes that the new regulations at her school have brought about a very positive change in the school climate.