The Ministry of Education last month proposed a nationwide ban on mobile devices in schools, aiming to curb concerns over student phone addiction.
Under the revised regulation, which will take effect in August, teachers and schools will be required to collect mobile devices — including phones, laptops and wearables devices — for safekeeping during school hours, unless they are being used for educational purposes.
Photo: Bonnie White
For Chang Fong-ching (張鳳琴), the ban will have a positive impact.
“It’s a good move,” says the professor in the department of health promotion and education at National Taiwan Normal University.
Chang’s research shows that phone-free schools report lower rates of smartphone and gaming addiction, as well as decreased exposure to online sexual harassment — 3.5 percent versus 7.7 percent for schools without the restrictions.
Photo: Bonnie White
However, while the ban signals a move towards addressing these issues, skepticism remains. Civic organizations and student groups say the government is being short-sighted when it comes to the realities of classroom dynamics and youth needs.
“This ban is a simple answer to a complex problem. Education should be prioritized,” says Alice Yang (楊姿潁), director of Taiwan Youth Association for Democracy (臺灣青年民主協會).
PHONE ADDICTION
Photo: Bonnie White
Ko Huei-chen (柯慧貞) says the ban is a double-edged sword. Students will eventually adapt, but some “who rely on phones for stress relief or social connection may experience distress or resistance during the adjustment period,” says Ko, a professor of psychology at Asia University and founder of the country’s first youth digital detox camps.
Ko suggests that schools guide students towards positive and intentional use of mobile devices by engaging in open dialogue about their risks and benefits.
According to a Youth Mental Health Survey released in February, Taiwanese junior and senior high school students spend an average of 35 hours on social media every week with 37.7 percent showing signs of screen addiction.
While some students sacrifice sleep over scrolling, the ban only concerns those who are glued to the screens during class.
Richard Cheng (鄭詩樵), a Health Education teacher at Taipei Municipal Jinhua Junior High School, says that he and his colleagues experience conflict with students who secretly use their phones.
“When a teacher wants to stop this behavior, [students] will get angry,” he says.
For Yang, the ban raises concerns over student rights. A student reported to her that a teacher confiscated her phone and kept it for a semester without justification.
Chang says that removing phones from the grip of students pushes their habits into the shadows, where late-night scrolling often replaces sleep as their only escape from adult control.
ADULT RESPONSIBILITY
Harold Li (李宏文), director of the Child Welfare League Foundation (兒福聯盟), says that Taiwanese children are on average more addicted to social media (20 percent) than the rest of the world (18 percent). He adds that adults should be responsible for setting the right example.
“[Adults] cannot just tell their children to not use their cell phones or the Internet while they sit on the sofa and keep scrolling,” he says.
For Li, the dialogue begins at home. He believes that parents should also be taught digital literacy — how to access, evaluate and use online content — to help bridge the divide between adults and children.
“Adults think that the carrot and the stick technique is the best way to teach a lesson but children only remember the stick,” he says.
Li says that the ban overlooks the limited communication and support between adults and children. Counselling resources in schools are stigmatised and insufficient, so students turn to the Internet for help instead.
Li adds that children understand the Internet better than adults, but these digital natives can easily be deceived and need guidance from parents and teachers to set healthy digital habits.
“If school bans incorporate elements such as emotional education, meaningful engagement and family-school collaboration, the policy is far more likely to succeed,” Ko says.
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