Is the cell phone ban coming?New rules for smartphones in schools announced

Theresa Schopper, Minister of Education in Baden-Württemberg, has announced that the private use of cell phones at school should be restricted in future. It is not yet known exactly what this restriction will look like. One of the reasons given for this move is that the negative effects of smartphone use have now been proven. Among other things, the ability to concentrate and learning ability suffer, said the minister.

There is already a concrete draft law in Hesse, which will be put to the vote next week. It stipulates that the use of digital devices is not permitted anywhere on school grounds. This includes not only smartphones, but also tablets and smartwatches, for example. However, the carrying of these devices is expressly not prohibited. The general ban on use can be lifted by teachers, supervisors or by conference resolution. Teachers can therefore continue to allow their students to work with digital devices in class without any problems. Fortunately, the draft law also takes into account the fact that some pupils are dependent on digital devices due to a restriction and must be able to continue using them. Schools are expressly permitted to confiscate devices if pupils do not adhere to the rules. In this case, the devices must be handed back at the end of the school day at the latest. 

Even if we do not yet know all the details of the plans, one thing is already clear: there are no plans for a general ban on cell phones in schools. The carrying of digital devices will still be permitted. Only their use will be restricted. So what will change at schools in the two federal states in the future? Possibly less than some people think. Even now, the vast majority of schools restrict the use of smartphones and the like in lessons and on school grounds. These rules are set out in the house rules, the school media concept or in special"cell phone regulations", for example.

The Hessian draft law also explicitly allows schools to continue to set their own rules. For example, they can release certain areas on the school grounds or certain time slots for the private use of media by pupils. The ban on private use is therefore not absolute, but can be adapted by schools as they see fit for their situation. The previous regulations at schools would presumably remain largely the same, only the signs would change: where media use was previously permitted in principle and had to be restricted by the school, it would be prohibited in principle under the new law and would have to be permitted by the school.

The authors of the Hessian draft law see this as a major advantage. This is because the new law is intended to protect schools and teachers from having to justify the restrictions on use over and over again to pupils and parents. In the event of disputes and displeasure over the ban on the private use of digital devices, they could in future refer to the provisions of the Schools Act. It is hoped that schools and teachers will then no longer appear to be the ones prohibiting something, but on the contrary, the ones allowing something.

As already mentioned, schools in Germany have found regulations on how to deal with digital devices in everyday school life, even without legal bans. The image of classrooms in which all children are busy with their smartphones and lessons are no longer possible due to a lack of legislation has therefore never corresponded to everyday life in German schools.

In many schools, there are successful approaches to regulating the use of smartphones sensibly in everyday school life. Some schools rely on binding rules on cell phone use, combined with targeted education about digital media. This preventative approach should start from Year 5 at the latest and be supplemented by special parent training. In the peer-to-peer approach , older pupils who are trained as media scouts pass on their knowledge about appropriate media use to younger classmates and are available as trustworthy contact persons.

Tips for schools

1. Establish clear rules: Define fixed times and places where smartphones may be used in a smartphone policy. Templates are available from the Rhineland-Palatinate State Institute of Education, for example. The Bavarian State Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs has collectedsome good practice examples here . Remember that the cell phone policy must be in line with the school law of your respective federal state.
2. Involvethe pupils: Pupils will be more likely to accept the rules if they have been involved in drawing them up. Children's rights also require that children are consulted in all decisions that affect them.
3. Teach media skills: Integrate regular teaching units on the safe and responsible use of digital media. You can findlots of teaching materials on this at klicksafe: https://www.klicksafe.de/paedagogen/medien-materialien
4. Involve parents: Offer information events or training sessions to involve parents in media education. You can find various guides and flyers for parents at klicksafe.
5. Introduce peer-to-peer projects: Use media scout programs to support media literacy education at eye level.
6. Open communication: Create an atmosphere of trust in which students can turn to you if they have problems with cell phone use. This can be done, for example, as part of a dedicated consultation hour on all digital topics