Schools Across Europe Are Banning Mobile Phones

Four years ago, Calvijn College, a high school in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, was one of the first schools in the country to ban mobile phones. After reporting positive results, more schools across the Netherlands and Europe are following its example.

“We were asked whether we thought we were living in the 1800s,” Jan Bakker, the chair of the college, told The Guardian. Still, most parents, teachers, and students surveyed supported the ban, with only about 20% voting against it.

Bakker said he noticed students were glued to their smartphones. “Basically, we were losing the social culture,” he explained. After the ban went into effect, school officials say the results have been nothing but positive.

“What we had lost, we got back,” said Bakker. “The students playing with each other and talking to each other. And a lot less interruptions in the lessons.”

With children’s online use increasing, other schools in the Netherlands have followed Calvijn College’s steps or are considering doing so. This year, even the Dutch government urged primary and secondary schools to ban mobile phones, tablets, and smartwatches from classrooms.

Researchers at Radboud University have captured the before-and-after effects of banning mobile phones. They surveyed students, parents, and teachers from two schools before the ban and visited the schools three months after it became effective.

The opinions were divided. About 20% of students reported being less distracted without smartphones in the classroom, and teachers backed these claims, saying students were indeed more attentive and focused. Researchers also reported decreased rates of cyberbullying.

Additionally, students reported having more real-life social interactions. As many as 40% of students reported enjoying their breaks more without smart devices being present. However, 37% said they missed their phones. “I am forced to socialize when I’m not in the mood, which is often,” one respondent complained to the researchers.

With online social platforms causing addiction among teens, it’s no surprise that a growing number of schools across Europe have embraced the mobile phone ban. For instance, 200 secondary schools in France are testing a mobile phone ban. French-speaking primary schools in Wallonia and Brussels, in Belgium, have also incorporated restrictions.

Possibly the strictest has been Hungary, which outright bans the use of phones and other smart devices in schools. Italy and Greece, on the other hand, have taken a less restrictive approach, prohibiting the use of smartphones in classrooms but allowing students to carry their phones to school.

Calvijn College is proud the idea it pioneered is gaining momentum across the Netherlands and Europe. “We went through a time when people were saying that we weren’t a modern school, that we were going back in time,” Bakker said. “Nowadays, it’s the opposite. It feels like a nice confirmation that the trouble we went through was not for nothing,” he concluded.