Mr. Dang Van Thanh, Deputy Principal of Thanh Loc High School, Ho Chi Minh City, shared this at the workshop "Strengthening the construction of a healthy school environment, prohibiting the use of mobile phones during recess," organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training on the morning of September 18th.
Mr. Dang Van Thanh, Vice Principal of Thanh Loc High School, Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: Hoai Nam).
Mr. Thanh stated that in the 2024-2025 school year, the school implemented a regulation prohibiting the use of mobile phones in school, including during recess, stemming from observations of students "living in a virtual world ."
Back then, during recess, instead of chatting with friends, many students would bury their heads in their phones, not participating in sports activities, and the schoolyard would be quiet, lacking the vibrancy of school life.
Furthermore, many students become addicted to social media, posting negative comments, slandering, and even insulting each other, leading to conflicts and disputes, and in some cases, even violence.
The principal shared that before implementing the "phone-free school" program, the school consulted with and received support from parents.
Instead of simply banning phones, the school has introduced many alternative activities for students, such as providing public telephones for students to contact their families; organizing sports, cultural and artistic activities, and music clubs; and investing in the library to create an open learning space for students...
After a year of implementing the "phone-free school" program, the school observed that students were less distracted and more focused during class; more enthusiastic in activities during recess; more connected with each other, reducing online conflicts and disputes; and experienced reduced stress and improvements in the prevalence of overweight and obesity among students.
Mr. Thanh said that now students at his school are used to and respond positively to learning and playing activities in a phone-free environment.
Students from Thanh Loc High School participate in the music club (Photo: School).
When the "no phones" rule was first implemented, the principal recalled that many students expressed their displeasure and complained, citing reasons such as needing phones to contact parents, keep up with friends, relieve stress, and access academic information.
Regarding students' use of phones at school and in class, Lieutenant Colonel Tran Van Dong, Deputy Head of Department PA03 of the Ho Chi Minh City Police, shared that it is very inappropriate for teachers to suddenly start playing TikTok music while they are lecturing; this falls under basic behavioral etiquette.
Not to mention the many pitfalls students face online, such as scams, kidnapping, bullying, and online harassment…
According to Lieutenant Colonel Tran Van Dong, currently up to 90% of children access social media and use it daily, while only about 35% of students are aware of how to use their time online.
A cabinet for storing mobile phones in a classroom at the High School for the Gifted, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: NT).
For this reason, families and schools hope to find common ground in limiting children's use of phones and inappropriate social media.
100% of schools in Ho Chi Minh City implement restrictions on mobile phones during recess.
According to the draft by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, the implementation of restrictions on phone use during recess at schools will be carried out in two phases.
Phase 1 will be a pilot program in 16 schools, starting in October of this year and lasting until the end of the first semester. Phase 2 will be implemented simultaneously in all general education institutions in the area starting in January 2016.
Regarding implementation, each school should have at least three diverse alternative activities during recess (sports, arts and culture, folk games, reading, life skills clubs, etc.); students should participate in at least one group activity, and the use of mobile phones for personal entertainment during recess should be eliminated.
Ho Chi Minh City implements restrictions on mobile phones during recess in schools (Photo: Hoai Nam).
Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, said that the Department's stance is not to absolutely prohibit students from bringing mobile phones to school. Schools should not impose extreme bans but should guide students to proactively use phones safely and appropriately so that they are used to serve essential needs, support learning, and communicate when necessary.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/bi-cam-dung-dien-thoai-trong-truong-hoc-sinh-phan-ung-20250918152318526.htm
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