![[04] Smartphone Bans and Students Wellbeing](https://images.beamly.com/fetch/https%3A%2F%2Fauth.jellypod.ai%2Fstorage%2Fv1%2Fobject%2Fpublic%2FCoverImages%2Forg_01K7DBDW6Z6WY8F3DV1EPJM2Z4%2Fusers%2Fuser_01K7DBDW1MF050KSA7ZE8CDR69%2FnWQVTQl0Q9E61m12WXKuk.jpg?w=365)
00:00:00
Hello and welcome back to Topics on Digital Education.
00:00:16
I'm Elena Ferri, and today we're diving into the real impacts of smartphone
00:00:21
bans in schools, especially looking at new data the Netherlands and the
00:00:26
UK.
00:00:27
With me as always are Elisabeth Kensington,
00:00:30
Jack Iron, and Martin Nottingham.
00:00:32
So, let's start with the big change in the Netherlands.
00:00:36
In January 2024, Dutch national guidelines recommended banning smartphones
00:00:43
from classrooms and recently did the Italian Ministry of Education (Ministro
00:00:48
dell'Istruzione e del Merito).
00:00:50
Almost all secondary schools have now complied,
00:00:53
but the ways they enforce it vary.
00:00:55
Some ask students to leave their phones at home or put them in lockers,
00:00:59
while others collect phones at the start of each lesson.
00:01:02
It's a pretty big shift, right?
00:01:02
Yeah,
00:01:06
it's huge.
00:01:06
I mean, in the US, we've seen some schools try this,
00:01:10
but not at a national level.
00:01:12
I'm curious, how did Dutch schools actually adapt to these new rules?
00:01:17
Was it smooth sailing?
00:01:17
Not exactly,
00:01:20
Jack.
00:01:20
There were definitely some bumps.
00:01:22
Schools had to figure out logistics-like,
00:01:24
do you have enough lockers?
00:01:26
What about emergencies?
00:01:27
And, you know, some teachers were worried about enforcing the policy,
00:01:31
especially newer teachers.
00:01:33
Minister Mariëlle Paul actually mentioned that having a national guideline
00:01:37
made it easier for teachers to enforce,
00:01:39
because before, it was always up for debate in each classroom.
00:01:39
And let's
00:01:44
not forget, compliance was really high.
00:01:46
Nearly all secondary schools followed the guidelines,
00:01:50
but the methods varied.
00:01:52
Some schools were stricter than others,
00:01:54
but overall, the adaptation was pretty impressive,
00:01:57
considering the scale.
00:01:57
But it wasn't all smooth,
00:02:00
was it?
00:02:01
There was a lot of resistance at first.
00:02:04
Teachers, students, and especially parents had concerns.
00:02:08
Some worried about not being able to reach their children during the
00:02:12
day, or about students feeling disconnected.
00:02:12
Oh,
00:02:16
absolutely.
00:02:17
I remember a PTA meeting-this was a few years ago,
00:02:20
but it could have been yesterday.
00:02:21
Parents were really anxious about losing that direct line to their kids.
00:02:25
There was shouting, a lot of "what if there's an emergency?" and "how
00:02:29
will I know if my child is okay?" It got pretty heated.
00:02:33
But, interestingly, after the policy was in place for a while,
00:02:36
most people's attitudes shifted.
00:02:38
The same parents who were worried started to see some benefits.
00:02:38
That's
00:02:42
kind of classic, right?
00:02:43
Big change, big pushback, and then people settle in.
00:02:46
Did the students themselves come around,
00:02:48
or was it just the adults?
00:02:48
Actually,
00:02:51
both.
00:02:52
According to the Dutch study, after the initial protests,
00:02:56
satisfaction increased across the board.
00:02:58
Teachers, students, and parents reported being "pretty happy" with the
00:03:03
new atmosphere.
00:03:04
It's a good reminder that sometimes,
00:03:06
the fear of change is worse than the change itself.
00:03:06
So,
00:03:10
let's talk about what actually changed in the classroom.
00:03:14
The Dutch study found that 75% of students said their concentration improved
00:03:19
after the ban.
00:03:20
That's a big number.
00:03:20
It is!
00:03:23
And teachers noticed it too.
00:03:25
With fewer distractions, classroom discipline improved.
00:03:29
Minister Paul pointed out that the national guideline really helped,
00:03:34
especially for less experienced teachers who might have struggled to
00:03:39
enforce a ban on their own.
00:03:39
I wonder if some subjects benefit more than
00:03:43
others.
00:03:43
Like, maybe math or science classes,
00:03:45
where focus is crucial, see bigger improvements than,
00:03:48
say, art or PE.
00:03:50
I don't think the data breaks it down that far,
00:03:52
but it's an interesting question.
00:03:52
That's a good point,
00:03:55
Martin.
00:03:55
The study didn't specify by subject,
00:03:58
but overall, the sense was that the learning environment became calmer
00:04:02
and more focused.
00:04:04
And that's something we've talked about before-how the design of learning
00:04:08
spaces, whether physical or digital,
00:04:10
can really shape engagement and outcomes.
00:04:10
Another big finding: 59% of
00:04:16
students noticed better social interactions.
00:04:19
With phones out of the picture,
00:04:21
there were fewer secret photos,
00:04:23
less online drama, and more face-to-face conversations,
00:04:27
especially during breaks.
00:04:27
That's kind of amazing.
00:04:30
I mean, you take away the phones,
00:04:32
and suddenly kids are actually talking to each other again.
00:04:35
Who would've thought?
00:04:35
And it's not just about chatting.
00:04:39
One Dutch school reported a drop in incidents of online bullying during
00:04:43
school hours.
00:04:44
When you can't snap a photo and send it around instantly,
00:04:48
there's less opportunity for that kind of thing.
00:04:50
Social safety really did improve.
00:04:50
Of course,
00:04:54
there's always a bit more arguing on the playground,
00:04:57
but that's normal.
00:04:58
At least it's happening face-to-face,
00:05:00
where teachers can step in if needed.
00:05:02
It's a different kind of social dynamic,
00:05:05
but overall, schools and students seemed happier with it.
00:05:05
Now,
00:05:09
what about academic results?
00:05:11
The Dutch study found that 28% of students saw improved academic performance
00:05:16
after the ban.
00:05:17
That's not as dramatic as the concentration numbers,
00:05:20
but it's still notable.
00:05:20
Right, and it's important to say that these improvements
00:05:25
weren't universal.
00:05:26
Some schools saw bigger gains than others,
00:05:29
and it's not always clear how they're measuring academic change.
00:05:32
Is it test scores, grades, or just teacher impressions?
00:05:36
The data is a bit mixed.
00:05:36
Yeah, and I think that's a good reminder that
00:05:41
academic performance is influenced by a lot of factors,
00:05:44
not just whether kids have their phones.
00:05:46
But still, a quarter of students reporting better results is nothing
00:05:51
to sneeze at.
00:05:51
And as we saw in the UK SMART Schools study,
00:05:54
which we'll get to in a minute,
00:05:56
the link between phone bans and academic outcomes isn't always straightforward.
00:06:00
But in the Dutch context, at least,
00:06:02
some students and teachers did notice a positive shift.
00:06:02
It's also interesting
00:06:07
to look at how the ban played out in different types of schools.
00:06:10
In special schools, about half reported a positive effect.
00:06:14
But in primary schools, only a quarter saw any real change.
00:06:14
That matches
00:06:19
what I saw with my niece's school.
00:06:21
They tried a phone-free day, and honestly,
00:06:24
it didn't make much difference.
00:06:26
Most primary students weren't using their phones much during school anyway,
00:06:30
so the impact was limited.
00:06:30
Exactly.
00:06:34
The effect seems to be much stronger in secondary schools,
00:06:37
where phone use is more common and more disruptive.
00:06:40
In primary settings, the ban is almost a non-issue.
00:06:40
So,
00:06:44
it's not a one-size-fits-all solution.
00:06:46
The context really matters.
00:06:46
But this study - picked up by many news outlets
00:06:51
in Europe, starting with the Guardian - has a fundamental weakness.
00:06:56
As Pier Cesare Rivoltella states in a post on Facebook,
00:07:00
'It is not a scientific article,
00:07:03
but a research report.
00:07:04
The results come from 317 interviews with school leaders and 12 focus
00:07:10
groups with teachers, parents, and students.
00:07:13
Interviews and focus groups only provide representations and perceptions:
00:07:18
experimental evidence must be recorded differently.' Therefore,
00:07:22
it does not consist of experimental evidence recorded following a strict
00:07:26
experimental protocol that measures quantitatively relevant effects compared
00:07:31
to a control group.
00:07:31
You've hit the nail on the head,
00:07:34
Elena.
00:07:35
Interviewing over 300 school principals reflects the subjective perception
00:07:41
of a group of qualified observers,
00:07:43
but they can be strongly subject to cognitive biases.
00:07:47
Furthermore, for example, recording that 28% of students report an improvement
00:07:53
in performance during the observation period seems like an absolutely
00:07:58
insignificant figure if not compared to a control group.
00:08:02
During the school year, students typically improve their performance
00:08:08
- what is school for otherwise?
00:08:10
- but it is essential to understand what causes these improvements.
00:08:15
There is still much to be done and especially to study with a solid
00:08:15
scientific
00:08:20
approach.
00:08:20
Let's shift to the UK for a minute.
00:08:23
Here we can analyze a study conducted with very solid scientific standards
00:08:27
based on scientific criteria.
00:08:29
The sample referred to over 30 schools with two subgroups: 10 permissive
00:08:34
schools and 20 restrictive ones with over 1300 students involved (820
00:08:40
from restrictive schools and 482 from permissive schools) In short,
00:08:45
a truly well-conducted experimental work.
00:08:45
Yes,
00:08:48
the SMART Schools study looked at 30 English secondary schools-20 with
00:08:53
restrictive phone policies and 10 with permissive ones.
00:08:56
The big finding?
00:08:57
There was no significant difference in student wellbeing between the
00:09:01
two groups.
00:09:01
That's right.
00:09:03
The study used the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale,
00:09:07
and the scores were basically the same,
00:09:09
whether the school banned phones or not.
00:09:11
Restrictive policies did reduce phone and social media use during school
00:09:17
hours, but it didn't translate into better mental health or academic
00:09:17
outcomes.
00:09:17
It's
00:09:22
a bit counterintuitive, isn't it?
00:09:24
You'd think less phone time at school would mean better wellbeing,
00:09:27
but the data just didn't show that.
00:09:29
Maybe because students just made up for it outside of school?
00:09:29
That's a
00:09:33
key point.
00:09:34
The study found that daily phone use outside of school was similar,
00:09:38
regardless of the school's policy.
00:09:40
So, the overall exposure didn't really change.
00:09:40
And that brings us to a
00:09:45
crucial limitation.
00:09:47
While in-school restrictions did cut down on phone and social media use
00:09:51
during lessons, they didn't reduce overall screen time.
00:09:55
And the study found that more screen time-no matter when it happened-was
00:10:00
linked to poorer mental health outcomes,
00:10:02
like higher anxiety and depression,
00:10:05
and even lower academic attainment.
00:10:05
But the policy itself didn't cause
00:10:10
those improvements, right?
00:10:12
It's more about the total amount of screen time,
00:10:14
not just what happens at school.
00:10:14
Exactly.
00:10:17
And we should mention, the study relied on self-reported data and was
00:10:21
cross-sectional, so we can't say for sure what causes what.
00:10:24
There's always the risk of bias or confounding factors.
00:10:24
Still,
00:10:29
the association is there.
00:10:30
More screen time, worse outcomes.
00:10:33
But just banning phones at school isn't enough to move the needle on
00:10:36
wellbeing or academic results, at least according to this data.
00:10:36
So,
00:10:40
what do we do with all this?
00:10:42
The evidence suggests that restricting phones during school hours alone
00:10:47
isn't enough.
00:10:47
We need more holistic interventions that address both in-school and out-of-school
00:10:52
behaviors.
00:10:52
I completely agree.
00:10:54
There's a school in the UK I know of that's piloting digital literacy
00:10:59
workshops for both parents and students.
00:11:01
They're not just banning phones-they're teaching families how to manage
00:11:06
screen time, understand social media,
00:11:09
and set healthy boundaries.
00:11:11
It's a much more comprehensive approach.
00:11:11
That's the direction the research
00:11:15
points to.
00:11:15
If we want to improve adolescent wellbeing,
00:11:18
we have to look at the whole picture-screen time,
00:11:21
sleep, physical activity, and family involvement.
00:11:26
Just locking up the phones at school isn't enough.
00:11:26
And it's not just about
00:11:31
the kids.
00:11:31
Parents need support too.
00:11:33
It's tough to set limits when everyone around you is doing something
00:11:37
different.
00:11:38
Community-wide efforts seem to work better than isolated policies.
00:11:38
Looking
00:11:44
ahead, governments are starting to issue new advisories-like the Dutch
00:11:48
government recommending parents ban social media for under-15s,
00:11:52
and some MPs even proposing total smartphone bans in schools.
00:11:57
But enforcement is tricky, and experienced teachers play a big role in
00:12:02
making these policies work.
00:12:02
Absolutely.
00:12:05
And families have to be part of the solution.
00:12:08
Policies need to evolve to support adolescent wellbeing in a realistic
00:12:12
way, not just by banning devices but by helping young people-and their
00:12:16
parents-navigate the digital world responsibly.
00:12:16
It's a complex issue,
00:12:21
and as we've seen, there's no magic bullet.
00:12:24
But the research is clear: holistic,
00:12:27
community-based approaches are more promising than simple bans.
00:12:31
We'll keep following the evidence as new studies come out.
00:12:31
Yeah,
00:12:36
and I'm sure we'll be talking about this again soon.
00:12:39
There's always something new in digital education.
00:12:39
Thanks for joining
00:12:43
us today.
00:12:44
Martin, Jack, Elena-always a pleasure.
00:12:44
Thank you all.
00:12:47
Looking forward to our next discussion.
00:12:47
Grazie,
00:12:50
everyone.
00:12:51
Until next time, take care and keep questioning the data.
00:12:51
Bye,
00:12:55
everyone!