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Smartphone Effect
Brazilian students returned to class this week with a new task: staying away from their smartphones as a new law restricting their use in schools takes effect. President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva signed a bill in January limiting smartphone access at schools, in line with a trend seen in the U.S. and Europe. It applies to public and private schools, and applies to classrooms and the halls. Phones are still allowed for educational purposes, with the teacher's permission, and when needed for the student's accessibility and health. Schools have the autonomy to set their own guidelines, such as whether students can keep phones in backpacks or store them in lockers or designated baskets. Before the federal law, most of Brazil's 26 states - including Rio de Janeiro, Maranhao and Goias - had already passed measures applying some restrictions to phone use in schools. As of 2023, nearly two-thirds of Brazilian schools had some limitations, with 28 per cent banning them entirely, according to
Large-scale international assessment data suggests a negative link between excessive use of technology and student performance, yet less than one in four countries have banned smartphone use in schools, according to the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) report. The report on "Technology in education" published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has flagged that assessment data has found that mere proximity to a mobile device distracts students and has a negative impact on learning. An expert from the UN's Education team told PTI that too much attention on technology in education usually comes at a high cost, and technology, including smartphones, should only be used in class when it supports learning outcomes. "The adoption of digital technology has resulted in many changes in education and learning. The set of basic skills that young people are expected to learn in school, at least in richer countries, has expanded to include a broad ..