Surprisingly little is known about the impact of banning smartphones in schools, says Sonia Livingstone, a professor at the London School of Economics who studies how digital technology affects young people. says. There is relatively little good research in this area, and the research that has been done often points in contradictory directions. Livingstone says there is enough evidence to suggest that preventing children from accessing mobile phones improves concentration, but banning phones also leads to less bullying and more play. It is said that it is much more difficult. “There’s just not enough research for that,” she says.
Livingstone says it’s very difficult to isolate how specific issues such as bullying, mental health, sleep, exercise, and concentration are affected by smartphones. She cites a lack of mental health services for young people and poor pay and conditions for teachers as potential problems that are often overlooked by smartphone bans. Phones may be part of the problem, but they’re also seen as a one-size-fits-all solution, she says. “Those seem like things we can do something about,” she says. “And those seem like the most obvious new ones.”
The proposed new bill would also raise the age at which children can consent to allowing social media companies to use their dating site from 13 to 16. “If we can effectively create these app versions and smartphone versions for U16s, it will make it easier for them to clock out and engage in real-world activities,” McAllister said. today show. The UK has already passed legislation in 2023 called the Online Safety Act, which aims to protect children from certain types of content, but most parts of the law have not yet come into force.
Professor at Bath Spa University, Unlocked: The real science of screen time. “We need to think about how to better design[digital technology]and support people in understanding how to use it,” he says.
Etchells says getting there means moving past simple narratives like the assumption that limiting screen time will lead to more outdoor play. He cited a 2011 South Korean law that prohibited children from playing online games from midnight until 6 a.m. Four years later, the ban has not resulted in any meaningful changes in internet use or sleep hours. This law was repealed in 2021.
“If you talk to mental health experts and researchers in this field, they’ll tell you there’s no single root cause of why things get worse or better,” Etchells says. Looking to smartphone limitations as the primary response to the problems young people face may not be the right answer, but the easy answer.
(Tag Translation) Education
