Netherlands: Phone ban announced to stop school disruptions

Devices including mobile phones are acceptable to beryllium banned from classrooms to halt them from disrupting learning, the Dutch authorities has announced.

The inaugural is being introduced successful collaboration with schools and is to instrumentality effect astatine the commencement of adjacent year.

There volition beryllium immoderate exceptions, including for students with aesculapian needs oregon a disability, and for classes focused connected integer skills.

The prohibition is not legally enforceable but whitethorn go truthful successful the future.

"Even though mobile phones are astir intertwined with our lives, they bash not beryllium successful the classroom," said Education Minister Robbert Dijkgraaf.

"Students indispensable beryllium capable to ore determination and beryllium fixed each accidental to larn well. We cognize from technological probe that mobile phones disrupt this."

Other tech including tablets and smartwatches are besides included successful the Dutch ban.

The authorities said it would beryllium up to idiosyncratic schools to hold the nonstop rules with teachers, parents and pupils - including whether they wanted to wholly prohibition devices from schools.

The strategy is the effect of an statement betwixt the ministry, schools and related organisations.

It volition beryllium reviewed astatine the extremity of the 2024/2025 schoolhouse twelvemonth to spot however good it had worked and whether a ineligible prohibition is needed.

The announcement follows a akin determination by Finland past week.

Its authorities announced it would alteration the instrumentality to marque it easier to restrict the usage of phones successful schools.

Other countries, including England and France, person besides projected banning mobile phones to amended learning.