Phone use at school
Credit: RDNE Stock project, Pexels
Dutch researchers revealed that prohibiting phones at school does not benefit students.
The Dutch Ministry of Education banned the use of phones in 2023, aiming to improve the experience of students, but the results were not impressive.
A study by the Radboud University in Nijmegen surveyed 1,000 teachers, parents and students on their experience of phone-free schools and found that while parents and teachers were in favour, students rated their experience an average of 4.8 out of 10, compared to 6.8 before the prohibition.
The researcher, Loes Pouwels, shared that increased personal contact led to more cases of “offline bullying” and physical violence. 40 per cent of the students said that their school breaks were better without a phone, while 37 per cent said they missed them.
“I am forced to socialise when I´m not in the mood, which is often,” shared one of the students. Many mentioned the disadvantages of not having a phone and being unable to consult school schedules.
For students with health conditions, including mental disorders, this was particularly difficult, as they were unable to be in touch with family members; Pouwels said that special cases have to be considered when placing such significant regulations.
Sign up for personalised news
Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox!
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don’t already have one. Review our
Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Originally from Moscow, with Russian and Armenian origins, Anna has lived in Costa Blanca for over ten years. She is passionate about singing, acting and traveling.
Known as the PEOPLE’S PAPER, Euro Weekly News is the leading English language newspaper in Spain. And it’s FREE!
Covering the Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca, Almeria, Axarquia, Mallorca and beyond, EWN supports and inspires the individuals, neighbourhoods, and communities we serve, by delivering news with a social conscience. Whether it’s local news in Spain, UK news or international stories, we are proud to be the voice for the expat communities who now call Spain home.
With around half a million print readers a week and over 1.5 million web views per month, EWN has the biggest readership of any English language newspaper in Spain. The paper prints over 150 news stories a week with many hundreds more on the web – no one else even comes close.
Our publication has won numerous awards over the last 25 years including Best Free Newspaper of the Year (Premios AEEPP), Company of the Year (Costa del Sol Business Awards) and Collaboration with Foreigners honours (Mijas Town Hall). All of this comes at ZERO cost to our readers. All our print and online content always has been and always will be FREE OF CHARGE.
Sign up for personalised news
Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox!
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don’t already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Close
