TEXT 1
BRAZIL JOINS GROWING LIST OF COUNTRIES BANNING CELLPHONES IN SCHOOLS
Despite questions about the effectiveness of such bans, Brazil is the latest to prohibit the devices amid concerns over impacts on learning and well-being.
A bill that bans students from using cellphones in schools was signed into law in Brazil on Monday, the latest example of lawmakers limiting young people’s use of personal technology in the classroom, amid growing concern about its effect on education and well-being.
Brazil’s Education Ministry said in a statement that the law “aims to safeguard the mental, physical and psychological health of children and adolescents.” The Brazilian President called it an example of “working together for the safety and better learning of our children and young people.”
The law prohibits all students in public and private elementary and secondary schools from using portable electronic devices throughout the school day, the ministry said, though it allows for their educational use and some other exceptions.
Brazil joins several countries that have banned the personal use of cellphones in schools — including the Netherlands, Italy for students up to the third year of middle school, and France for those under 15 — though there are questions as to whether phone bans are effective in achieving their aims.
Excerpt extracted and adapted from: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/01/14/brazil-cellphoneschool-ban/