Mobile phone ban at schools? Expert explains why this is not a solution

Mr. Pallesche, in Hesse a nationwide Cell phone ban be introduced at schools. What do you think of it?
An exciting discussion, since most schools have already anchored their own regulations on mobile phone use in their school regulations. When we speak of prohibitions, we focus on the exclusion of a technical device and therefore do not solve the basic questions. Prohibiting the cell phone to even demonize it falls short. Because it is not the cell phone that is the problem, but dealing with it.

But it is not important to set limits to more problematic Mobile phone use to prevent?
Quite. However, young people move on social media, that is part of their culture. It is crucial that you learn to deal responsibly with it. Instead of pronouncing bans, we should teach you healthy use of digital media.

The Ernst Reuter School is particularly advanced in the Digitization. Can your students use their cell phones at school?
With us, the students don’t need their cell phones at all because they have digital end devices for lessons. These tablets are clearly regulated and have a different technical integration, such as a youth protection filter. At the same time, it is important that social networks are an issue in class. We are concerned with learning pupils how social networks work and how to use digital media for their learning process.

How do you teach your students healthy handling of cell phones?
We try to make the students from consumers a producer. With us, you not only look at explanatory videos, we also produce yourself. We not only bring the students to recognize fake news, but also how they can produce such content – of course without publishing them. This is how you learn how easy it is to create fake news. We also develop why people spread fake news, what intentions are behind it, how to check messages, and much more. This more comprehensive view is much more effective than simply banning a technical device.

However, students are also consumers of social media and smartphone content. How do you teach you to deal with it?
You will learn how an algorithm works – what happens if I enter a certain search term? Or what happens when I put personal information online? You will find out what data protection and copyright mean if you want to publish yourself produced content, for example, and first have to obtain the image rights of third parties.

Many Teacher complain an increasing lack of discipline in the use of mobile phone use in class. Do you and your teachers also have a problem with it?
As a rule, our students do not use their cell phones in class, so we don’t have this problem. Of course there is a fundamental diversion factor if you use digital end devices. Studies showed this in the early 2000s when the netbooks came into the classroom. But something different is crucial. For example, if the content is relevant for the students, the distraction is significantly lower because there is a self -interest in dealing with the topic.

That sounds incredible: Childrenuse the digital end devices productively and cannot be distracted from it.
It would be illusory to believe that people- not just children and adolescents! – Always use digital devices productively and cannot be distracted. However, I have the feeling that many have a picture in mind in which the smartphones are constantly beeping and vibrating and everyone in front of them. As if the students had their cell phones in their hands all the time and would not do anything else. That is far from reality.

So do you see no problem with cell phone use in schools?
Every school I know has its own regulations. I therefore find it interesting that we are even talking about a mobile phone ban if it is already regulated in most cases on site.

If you don’t think cell phone bans make sense, what regulations do you recommend instead?
Of course, I have concerns about the use, but above all as far as the content of social media is concerned. I think we should basically discuss whether there should be certain filters on social networks so that children at a certain age cannot see certain content.

Digitization was very advanced in Scandinavia. Now you notice that the children sometimes suffer and row back. Shouldn’t that be a warning for Germany?
In Scandinavia, school books, task formats and pretty much everything were digitized. That is not our goal at all. We want a changed teaching that meets the requirements of a digital world. The two situations cannot therefore be compared.

What would you recommend teachers who are fighting for the dismissal of their students in the use of cell phones?
These schools should try to negotiate rules together with the students. What does the cell phone use look like during the breaks, as in class? Should there be certain areas in school where the cell phone can be used? How do you deal with it when students don’t adhere to these rules? I would clarify all of these questions at such a school.