The Ministry of Education yesterday said it plans to propose a regulation banning students’ use of mobile phones on campus except for learning or emergencies.
The legislature in October last year held a public hearing, in which mandatory regulations on smartphone use at schools were suggested, as teachers had difficulties managing students.
To deal with smartphone addiction among students, the ministry has convened an interagency meeting to discuss amendments to its Guidelines on the Use of Mobile Devices on Campus at Senior-High School Level or Below (高級中等以下學校校園行動載具使用原則), expecting to complete the draft before the spring semester.
Photo: Hung Mei-hsiu, Taipei Times
The ministry’s Department of Information and Technology Education official Tsai Wan-lin (蔡宛霖) said that guidelines promulgated in 2019 stipulate that mobile devices must be turned off at school except for learning under the teacher’s guidance or emergencies, and students should be prevented from engaging in activities irrelevant to learning with such devices.
As representatives at the interagency meeting suggested stricter management of mobile devices on campus, the ministry would continue to consult expert opinions and other countries’ policies to revise the guidelines, Deputy Minister of Education Chang Liao Wan-chien (張廖萬堅) said.
A possible solution is to allow confiscation and custody of students’ smartphones by schools, he added.
Photo: Rachel Lin, Taipei Times
Representatives of different groups would be invited to discuss them once the amendments are drafted, it said.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) cited a survey by the Ministry of Digital Affairs as saying that the severity of smartphone addiction among junior and senior-high school students is second only to that of college students.
As smartphone addiction can negatively affect learning, many countries, including the US and the UK, have promulgated regulations on students’ smartphone use, she said.
The Los Angeles Times has reported that California passed the Phone-Free Schools Act requiring high schools within the state to develop policies limiting or banning smartphone use during school hours by next year, with classroom lockers or magnetic pouches used to lock in students’ smartphones.
Meanwhile, EdYouth cofounder Lee Ruei-lin (李瑞霖) said today’s generation of students are digital natives born to live with smartphones, and they would find it intolerable to be banned from using the devices at school.
Lee cited a senior-high school student as saying that he would bring two phones to school, allowing the school to confiscate one phone while keeping another with himself.
Confiscation of smartphones is not an effective solution to digital addiction, he said, adding that the key lies in understanding students’ learning needs, enhancing the sense of meaning and guiding them to leverage digital tools in their learning journey.
A survey conducted by a student group suggested that most parents and teachers are supportive of restricting on-campus smartphone use, while half of junior-high school students and up to 90 percent of senior-high school students said they disagreed with the policy.
National Federation of Teachers’ Unions chairman Hou Chun-liang (侯俊良) said most teachers would support the ministry’s revision to the guidelines, as it would bolster students’ learning and class management.
However, feasible supplementary measures should also be established to address some students’ or parents’ special needs, and handle contravention of the rules, he said.
Smartphone addiction should be handled by employing counseling resources rather than mandatory rules, Hou added.
MISINFORMATION: The generated content tends to adopt China’s official stance, such as ‘Taiwan is currently governed by the Chinese central government,’ the NSB said Five China-developed artificial intelligence (AI) language models exhibit cybersecurity risks and content biases, an inspection conducted by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The five AI tools are: DeepSeek, Doubao (豆包), Yiyan (文心一言), Tongyi (通義千問) and Yuanbao (騰訊元寶), the bureau said, advising people to remain vigilant to protect personal data privacy and corporate business secrets. The NSB said it, in accordance with the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法), has reviewed international cybersecurity reports and intelligence, and coordinated with the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau and the National Police Agency’s Criminal Investigation Bureau to conduct an inspection of China-made AI language
BOOST IN CONFIDENCE: The sale sends a clear message of support for Taiwan and dispels rumors that US President Donald Trump ‘sold out’ the nation, an expert said The US government on Thursday announced a possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet parts, which was estimated to cost about US$330 million, in a move that an expert said “sends a clear message of support for Taiwan” amid fears that Washington might be wavering in its attitude toward Taipei. It was the first announcement of an arms sale to Taiwan since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House earlier this year. The proposed package includes non-standard components, spare and repair parts, consumables and accessories, as well repair and return support for the F-16, C-130 and Indigenous Defense Fighter aircraft,
CHECKING BOUNDARIES: China wants to disrupt solidarity among democracies and test their red lines, but it is instead pushing nations to become more united, an expert said The US Department of State on Friday expressed deep concern over a Chinese public security agency’s investigation into Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) for “secession.” “China’s actions threaten free speech and erode norms that have underpinned the cross-strait ‘status quo’ for decades,” a US Department of State spokesperson said. The Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau late last month listed Shen as “wanted” and launched an investigation into alleged “secession-related” criminal activities, including his founding of the Kuma Academy, a civil defense organization that prepares people for an invasion by China. The spokesperson said that the US was “deeply concerned” about the bureau investigating Shen
DISPUTE: A Chinese official prompted a formal protest from Tokyo by saying that ‘the dirty head that sticks itself out must be cut off,’ after Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks Four armed China Coast Guard vessels yesterday morning sailed through disputed waters controlled by Japan, amid a diplomatic spat following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan. The four ships sailed around the Senkaku Islands — known as the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) to Taiwan, and which Taiwan and China also claim — on Saturday before entering Japanese waters yesterday and left, the Japan Coast Guard said. The China Coast Guard said in a statement that it carried out a “rights enforcement patrol” through the waters and that it was a lawful operation. As of the end of last month,
RSS