UNESCO Endorses Banning Smartphones From Schools

Relevance: GS2 - Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources, Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.

(Source: The Hindu, 07/27/2023)

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Why in the news?

• Recently, the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report 2023 titled “Technology in Education: A Tool on Whose Terms” endorsed the banning of smartphones in schools in conditions where it does not improve learning or adversely affects student wellbeing.
• One in every four countries have imposed similar bans to ensure data privacy, safety, and well-being of children.
• According to McAfee's Global Connected Family study 2022, smartphone usage among Indian students between the ages of 10 and 14 was 83% as compared to the global average of 76%.

Findings of the UNESCO report

• Mere proximity to a mobile device was found to have distracted and impaired the learning outcomes of students in 14 countries.
• Banning mobile phones led to an improvement in academic performance, especially among low-performing students.
• While there was little evidence of the value added to education by digital technology, there was ample evidence of a negative link between excessive screen time and a child’s educational performance and emotional stability.

What are the concerns expressed in the report?

• Well-being: A study on young people between the ages of 2 and 17 revealed that higher screen time was associated with poorer well-being.
• The respondents were diagnosed with a loss of curiosity, self-control, and emotional stability, as well as anxiety, and depression.
• Cyberbullying, a major concern for children across the world, has worsened due to increased access to digital technology.
• Expense: Setting up the digital infrastructure for education can be cost-prohibitive for many developing and less developed countries.
• This could also worsen the problem of unequal access in low-income countries.
• Adopting basic digital learning infrastructure in low-income countries and establishing secure internet connectivity for schools would add 50% to the financing gap faced by lower-middle-income countries in achieving national SDG 4 targets.
• Privacy: The indiscriminate use of digital technology in education could lead to a violation of the privacy of the children.
• 89% of the 163 products recommended for use during the pandemic period were surveying the children who used them.
• Of the 42 governments providing online education during the pandemic, 39 fostered uses that risked children’s rights.
• However, only 16% of countries have explicitly guaranteed data privacy in education by law.

What are the pros and cons of smartphone bans in schools?

Way Forward

• Instead of instituting complete bans on phones, it would be better to introduce smartphone-use policies that encourage digital skills and resilience among children.
• Children and adolescents should be taught about the benefits and risks associated with mobile phone use.
• The present prohibitive approach should be replaced by a positive approach in which phones are treated as a tool for learning and children are sensitized to the dangers associated with smartphone use.

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FAQs

MCQs

Question: Consider the following statements:

1. The NEAT scheme aims to use AI to develop personalized learning.
2. It has been implemented by the CBSE.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 1 and 2

(d) None