UNESCO Calls For Worldwide Ban On Smartphones In Schools

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United Nations: Excessive smartphone use in schools should be prohibited because it interferes with learning, said a UN report.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation’s (UNESCO) report on technology in education urges countries to carefully consider how technology is used in schools. It emphasises the need for a “human-centred vision” where digital technology serves as a tool rather than taking precedence.

UNESCO cautioned decision-makers against a hasty adoption of digital technology, stating that the benefits to academic achievement and economic efficiency can be exaggerated and that new is not always better. Not every change represents advancement. Something should not necessarily be done just because it is possible to do so.

The UN Specialised Agency advised policymakers not to overlook the “social dimension” of education, where students receive face-to-face instruction while more learning is migrating online, particularly in institutions. It stated that those who advocated for greater individualization “might be missing the point of what education is about.”

UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay warned that the digital revolution holds immeasurable potential but, just as warnings have been voiced for how it should be regulated in society, similar attention must be paid to the way it is used in education.

Its use must be for enhanced learning experiences and for the well-being of students and teachers, not to their detriment, Audrey added.

UNESCO Senior Researcher Manos Antoninis also warned of the danger of data leaks in educational technology, as only 16 percent of countries guarantee data privacy in the classroom by law.

“We know that vast amounts of data are being used without the appropriate regulation so this data ends up being used for other non-educational purposes, such as commercial purposes, and that’s of course a violation of rights that needs to be regulated,” Manos further said.

We need to teach children to live both with and without technology; to take what they need from the abundance of information but to ignore what is not necessary; to let technology support but never supplant human interactions in teaching and learning, added Antoninis, the Director responsible for producing the report.

Even though technology has the ability to provide millions of people with new educational opportunities, many of the world’s poorest people are excluded from the benefits. The expense of digital educational infrastructure is high, and its environmental costs are frequently overlooked.

The rapid shift to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic left out an estimated 500 million students worldwide, mostly those in marginalised, rural communities.

According to UNESCO, countries are “waking up to the importance of putting learners first” when it comes to digital technology. It cited China, which it said has set boundaries for the use of digital devices as teaching tools, limiting them to 30 percent of all teaching time, with students expected to take regular screen breaks.

Based on its analysis of 200 education systems around the world, the agency estimated that one in four countries has banned smartphones in schools, either through law or guidance. These included France, which introduced its policy in 2018 and the Netherlands which will bring in restrictions in 2024. Additional input from agencies.

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