Is a smartphone ban in schools on the horizon for Luxembourg?

The objective of the petition is to bring to the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth an issue that other countries have already dealt with, according to mother-of-three Cristina Matita, who launched it on 25 June.

Commenting on the successful outcome that will now see the matter debated in the Chambre des Deputies, Ms Matita said: "This is a niche topic, it is not the subject of concern of the majority, although the entire population, directly or indirectly, will be sooner or later affected by it. The fact that it made so many people react to it shows the concern and importance it has among the affected population."

Lack of enforcement on smartphone use

The impetus for the petition came after seeing firsthand the use of smartphones at break time at her 12-year-old son’s secondary school.

Her son has just completed first year and is one of two students at the school who do not own a smartphone, according to Ms Matita.

"During their breaktimes no one is talking to each other. They [the students] are all captured by the phones. No one is running, no one is playing. There is no discussion. They don’t use those smartphones for educational purposes.

"I am really sorry to say it, but we are handicapping them in an emotional way by letting them play with their phones throughout their entire break time.

"There are some schools that are doing better than others, that have their internal rules and are more strict on this. But this is the exception if they manage to reinforce the no-phone premise.

"Of course I assume that the majority of schools have a policy regarding class time – no phones allowed, but it’s breaks that are the problem. It’s where they are lacking enforcement", she argues.

Excessive use of smartphones

The dental clinic manager, who lives in Esch-sur-Alzette, adds that smartphones have no place in classrooms nor in schoolyards, with children’s attention being “hijacked” by the mere presence of their devices at school.

Her son's school requires students to access homework and schedules to name a few tasks on apps. She says that she tackles this by printing off the material he needs.

Despite the counter argument that parents like to be able to contact their child during the day, she refutes the need for this.

"There is no reason in the world why I would need to be in touch with my child in the middle of the school day – to ask him what? What he had for lunch?

"I really believe that this is way beyond the problem that a mother, a family, a group or a school can have. This is going to have effects on the entire society so therefore I strongly believe that it needs to be addressed by the competent authorities.
 
"It's not because I say so. They need to evaluate the potential effects, with the help of experts, that this will have, both short and long term, on society."

Indeed, the latest UNESCO report, cited in the petition, supports the ban on smartphones in schools as a way to combat classroom disruption, improve learning and to protect children from cyberbullying. 

Common policy for Luxembourg schools

She hopes the petition will encourage authorities to devise a "common strategy" that will apply across all schools in Luxembourg.

"From the beginning the only reason for initiating the petition was to bring it before the Chamber. It is extremely important as I believe this is the only way to really initiate any change on this topic.

"Without the acknowledgement and the support of the authorities this subject will continue being treated on a case-by-case basis, according to the policy of each school. 
 
"Of course this is not an easy subject. This is probably one of the most controversial subjects of our time."