Parents and their children positive about the mobile phone ban
In February 2023, participants in the Parent Panel were asked: what do you think of a ban on mobile phones in the classroom or even throughout the entire school building? At that time, the majority of parents (64%) already supported a ban on mobile phones in the classroom, but that group has grown significantly. Parents are less positive about a ban throughout the entire school.
Parents notice the effects of the mobile phone ban
Recent research shows that children can concentrate better on their schoolwork without a mobile phone in the classroom. A quarter of the parents surveyed also notices this effect in their child and sees that they can focus better in class.
More social interaction
In addition, the research shows that mobile phone use distracts children from real contact with one another. Here too, more than a quarter of parents see that since the mobile phone ban, their child has found it easier to make contact with others and has more social interactions. Moreover, 17% of the parents surveyed indicate that the atmosphere in the classroom has improved.
Less personal responsibility
Alongside all the positive effects, 58% of parents also see disadvantages to the mobile phone ban. Around a quarter of them indicate that a mobile phone ban means their child is given less responsibility and does not learn properly how to use a mobile phone responsibly. It is also mentioned that their child can no longer log in to the school app and that they are difficult to reach during lessons or the school day.
Children less positive about the mobile phone ban than their parents
What stands out is that children are less positive about the mobile phone ban than their parents. While four out of five parents say they support a ban on mobile phones in the classroom, almost half of the children say they do not support it. We see this difference reflected in the opinions of parents and their children about a mobile phone ban throughout the entire school as well. More than half of the parents say they support this, while only 17% of children are positive about it.
Positive about a classroom ban, less positive about a ban throughout the entire school
At most schools, mobile phones are banned in the classroom, but not throughout the entire school building. Of the parents who participated in the study, 80% support the ban on mobile phones in the classroom. When it comes to a ban throughout the entire school building, 54% say they support it.
Need for clear rules about phones in the classroom
Schools determine their own policy on the use of phones in the classroom and in the school building. This sometimes causes confusion, as more than one in ten parents feel that the school has not sufficiently informed them about the new rules. Last year, Lobke Vlaming, director of Ouders & Onderwijs, already called for mandatory school policy on this subject.
About the study
In the study ‘phones in the classroom’, we asked parents for their opinions about the mobile phone ban and the school’s rules on this subject. A total of 544 parents with a child in secondary education took part in the study. Read the report here.