This is reported by The Guardian
The ban on smartphone use in Dutch schools has proven effective in improving the learning process, despite initial objections. This is confirmed by a study commissioned by the Dutch government.
The national guidelines, implemented in January 2024, call for a ban on smartphones in classrooms. Most schools comply with this policy: about two-thirds of secondary schools ask students to leave their phones at home or store them in lockers, and in one in five schools, phones are collected at the start of the lesson.
As part of the study, 317 secondary school principals, 313 primary school principals were surveyed, and 12 focus groups were conducted with teachers, assistants, students, and parents. The results showed that 75% of schools reported improved student focus, 59% noted an improvement in the social environment, and 28% observed an increase in academic performance.
“It is now impossible to secretly photograph someone in class and send the photo in a WhatsApp group, so social safety has increased. Especially during breaks between lessons, students used to sit on their phones, but now they are forced to interact… Maybe they even argue more often, but schools, teachers, and the students themselves are quite satisfied that the atmosphere has improved.”
Initial concerns about the ban proved unfounded, said Freya Sixma, spokesperson for the VO-raad Secondary Education Council, which represents schools and governing bodies.
“At first, there were many protests from schools, teachers, students, and parents, with lots of questions about how it would all work. But now it’s clear that everyone is actually quite satisfied.”
The study also showed that in special schools, where smartphones are used as learning aids, about half of the institutions reported a positive or very positive effect from the ban. In primary schools, smartphones did not have a significant impact before the ban, but a quarter of schools expressed a positive view of the ban.
Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Marjelle Paul emphasized that the national guidelines have contributed to improved discipline in classrooms.
“Teachers and school leaders noted that if an individual teacher wanted to ban smartphones in their classroom, it always became a topic of discussion. Less experienced teachers found it harder to implement.”
