Brazil prohibits the use of cell phones in primary and secondary schools

The students in Brazil They will not be able to use their cell phones in primary and secondary schools, after the approval this Wednesday of a law by Congress, amid warnings about the harmful effects of screens on the health and learning of young people.

Legislators, parents and the government of leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva have called for limiting the use of cell phones in educational centers.

More than half of Brazilian adolescents between 10 and 13 years old have a mobile phone. Proportion that rises to 87.6% among adolescents between 14 and 17 years old.

According to data from the government’s Internet Management Committee, almost two-thirds of the country’s schools restrict the use of mobile devices by their own decision, while only 28% prohibit them completely.

The law, which affects students between 4 and 17 years old, was approved by the Senate and must now go through President Lula to be sanctioned.

To “safeguard the mental, physical and psychological health of children and adolescents,” cell phones will be prohibited in schools, both in classrooms and during recess, according to the text.

The standard exceptionally allows the use of electronic devices for pedagogical purposes or for accessibility reasons.

Schools will also need to create strategies to address mental health problems associated with the use of these devices.

Banning cell phones in schools is supported by 82% of Brazilian parents, Instituto Locomotiva and QuestionPro said in a poll in October.

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The Minister of Education, Camilo Santana, has been in favor of putting a “limit” on cellular devices in schools.

“Experiences around the world have shown the prejudice in an attention deficit due to the use of cellular devices in classrooms,” Santana told reporters in November.

“The cell phone ended people’s socialization. “We need a limit,” he added.

“Banning mobile phones in schools improves academic performance, especially for low-performing students,” UNESCO said in a 2023 report.

But at the same time, “protecting students from new and innovative technologies can put them at a disadvantage.”

Globally, less than a quarter of countries have laws or policies that prohibit cell phones in schools, according to UNESCO.