The lycée, located in the Limpertsberg district, recently implemented a policy requiring most students to leave their phones at home or keep them locked in a magnetised bag from their arrival until their departure.
“The new rule is unfair and stupid”, said one 14-year-old named Ioana. For days, she and others in her class have waged a silent war, engaged in a swipe-a-thon. They spend their days swiping their palms under their desks, while crossing the hallways, and even during their lunch break.
“Before the ban, I used to send around 10 actual Snaps during the school day”, she said. “Now, in my heart, I send 1,000. Their plan has backfired.”
Nicola, aged 13, says that she is protesting by spending class time in a state of semi-consciousness, telepathically connecting with TikTok, imagining the videos she might otherwise be sneakily watching while her teacher writes algebraic equations on the whiteboard.
“I see – I see a teenage girl saying something to her mum that appears nonsensical”, she said, sitting in the lotus position on her desk with her eyes half-closed. “Something about a number, and it confuses her mum because it’s actually a trending in-joke. Like and share.”
Other students who are used to sneaking in a video game on their phones between classes or even during lessons say they have developed the ability to play in their minds.
“My teacher may think that I’m listening to her talk about the Babylonians, but in fact I’m playing Free Fire in my mind, blasting other players with an M14", said Andro, aged 12. “See the way my eyes twitch and my arms jerk? Those are authentic uncontrollable reflexes. They can’t make me stop.”
Mariam, aged 15, has found another means of nonviolent resistance. She sits in class, endlessly holding an imaginary phone to her ear to listen to imaginary audios, or holding the imaginary phone to her mouth, silently lipping imaginary responses.
On Wednesday morning, her German teacher got fed up with the girl’s antics and sent her to see the director.
“They may take away our phones, but they’ll never take away our lack of attention!”, she shouted to cheers and applause from her classmates as she left.
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