In Ho Chi Minh City, in the new school year 2024 - 2025, more schools will apply regulations prohibiting students from using cell phones and smartphones in class - except when school is over to contact parents or during lessons where smartphones are used under teacher control.
Parents support
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Truc, Principal of Duong Van Thi High School (Thu Duc City), said that starting this school year, the school has issued a regulation prohibiting students from using cell phones in school, including during recess.
According to Ms. Truc, in the first phase, the school will guide students to use their phones properly. Phones are gathered in one place in each class - during recess, students who need to use them can come and get them and must return them after recess. During the lessons that teachers report in the lesson plan that they need to use devices such as English and math, students are allowed to use their phones. In the next step, depending on the situation, the school will promote and mobilize students not to use their phones during school hours and provide common lockers for the whole school.
Mr. Luong Van Dinh, Principal of Thanh Loc High School (District 12), said that since the beginning of September, the school has had a regulation prohibiting students from using cell phones, including during recess, but has not banned bringing cell phones because after school, many students need to use them to book a car or call their family to pick them up. When teachers make suggestions and present them in their lesson plans, students are allowed to use cell phones under the supervision of teachers. Since the previous school year, Truong Chinh High School (District 12) has had a regulation prohibiting students from using cell phones in school to create a healthy communication environment and increase physical activities for students. Mr. Trinh Duy Trong, Principal of the school, said that after a year of implementation, the school has received positive feedback and support from parents and students. Mr. Trong believes that the ban on students using cell phones is not at all rigid, and the school even encourages teachers and students to fully utilize the advantages and power of technology to improve the quality of teaching hours.
According to the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training , students are not allowed to use mobile phones or other devices while studying in class that are not for learning purposes. The regulations also do not prohibit students from bringing or using mobile phones during breaks at school.
According to regulations of the Ministryof Education and Training, students are not allowed to use cell phones but are not prohibited from using them during break time. Photo: Hoang Trieu
Limited hours of use
Ibolit has outlined the pros and cons of smartphone use in children. In fact, smartphones help children develop faster and progress more; children can learn new skills and concepts in a fun way through educational apps and games. When children are out of the house, smartphones are a useful tool for locating and communicating with parents.
However, allowing children to use cell phones also has many potential harmful factors such as the effects of radio waves, screens, batteries, etc. In terms of content, there is too much information and images on the internet that are not beneficial for children. Therefore, banning students from using cell phones or personal electronic devices in schools is a global trend that more and more countries are adopting, even enacting into law. In the US, since 2023, the state of Florida has started by passing a law requiring public schools not to allow students to use cell phones and headphones during class. In 2024, 8 more states, including Louisiana, Indiana, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, Minnesota and Ohio, will issue a ban on students using cell phones at school.
In the US, children under the age of 6 are warned not to use cell phones. At this age, children learn best through direct, role-playing interactions with parents, siblings/peers, or caregivers. Using cell phones at such a young age deprives children of the opportunity to learn social skills through direct interaction with people. This makes it difficult for children to develop empathy and read facial expressions. Worse, constant overstimulation from smartphone screens can damage the brain. For this reason, the Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS) recommends that children under the age of 2 should not be exposed to digital screens in any form; limit screen use for children between the ages of 2 and 5 to less than 1 hour per day.
In early August 2023, China's cyberspace regulator announced a proposal to limit smartphone use by children by requiring smart device vendors to have a "minor mode" that limits usage by those under 18 to no more than two hours a day. Minors who want to exit this restriction must have parental permission. Social networks such as Douyin (China's version of TikTok) and Weibo must limit their use to children, with Douyin limiting children to 40 minutes a day and Weibo banning children under 14.
A 2022 study conducted by McGill University (Canada) showed that China, along with Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, were among the top countries among 24 countries surveyed for smartphone addiction.
Phones designed specifically for kids
Currently, some companies have many types of phones designed specifically for children with high safety. These devices can connect to the mobile network to make calls, send messages, listen to music but do not have an internet connection. In addition, there are children's phones that parents can install additional entertainment and learning applications selected. For example, in the US, there is the Gabb children's phone system, parents only need to pay a monthly fee to use Gabb's private network system. For slightly older children, there are Gabb Phones without internet that have pre-installed applications such as photography, recording, weather reporting, calendar... and applications for parents such as smart message filters to block messages with dangerous content.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/hoc-sinh-dung-dien-thoai-tai-lop-quan-cach-nao-196240917205207494.htm
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