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BRAZIL JOINS GROWING LIST OF COUNTRIES
BANNING CELLPHONES IN SCHOOLS
Despite questions about the effectiveness of such bans,
Brazil is the latest to prohibit the devices amid concerns
over impacts on learning and well-being.
A bill that bans students from using cellphones in schools
was signed into law in Brazil on Monday, the latest example
of lawmakers limiting young people’s use of personal
technology in the classroom, amid growing concern about
its effect on education and well-being.
Brazil’s Education Ministry said in a statement that the law
“aims to safeguard the mental, physical and psychological
health of children and adolescents.” The Brazilian President
called it an example of “working together for the safety and
better learning of our children and young people.”
The law prohibits all students in public and private
elementary and secondary schools from using portable
electronic devices throughout the school day, the ministry
said, though it allows for their educational use and some
other exceptions.
Brazil joins several countries that have banned the personal
use of cellphones in schools — including the Netherlands,
Italy for students up to the third year of middle school, and
France for those under 15 — though there are questions as
to whether phone bans are effective in achieving their aims.
Excerpt extracted and adapted from:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/01/14/brazil-cellphoneschool-ban/