Brazil is the First Country to Limit Smartphones in Schools

The advent of smartphones means that you can read the news, check the weather, and keep in touch with families and friends on social media. Being connected comes with a host of benefits.

But smartphones are not necessarily positive when it comes at the expense of family conversations or paying attention in class. Now a new law in Brazil is making kids put their phones away when they are in school, reported AP News.

A bill was signed in January 2024 that limits smartphone access at school, joining a growing trend in the US – where eight states have prohibited use – and Europe. The law applies to public and private schools and isn’t just limited to classrooms. Use in hallways is also prohibited.

Students will still be able to use their devices for emergency purposes or for teacher-approved educational content. Individual schools will set their own rules as to where the phones can be kept,

Why Prohibit Smartphone Use?
The federal law follows a growing prohibition against smartphone use in most of Brazil’s states including Rio de Janeiro. As of 2023 almost two-thirds of schools in Brazil introduced limitations and 28 percent had complete bans.

At Porto Seguro, a private-school in Sao Paulo, smartphones were banned in classrooms in 2024. It was expanded to include hallways this year.

“Students were having trouble concentrating,”  the school’s principal Meire Nocito told AP. “There was also the issue of social isolation. Many students who used technology excessively would isolate themselves during breaks, interacting only through social media.

“Banning cellphone use has helped create a space for social interaction, fostering relationships and teaching students to navigate conflicts, which are a natural part of human interactions. It has been very positive,” she said.

This is a move that many parents agree with, reported CNN. A survey by Brazilian pollster Datafolha showed that almost two-thirds of respondents supported banning the use of smartphones by children and teens in school.

“[Restricting cell phones] is tough, but necessary. It is useful for them to do searches for school, but to use it socially isn’t good,” said Ricardo Martins Ramos, 43, the father of two school-aged daughters. “Kids will interact more.”

His 13-year-old daughter Isabela said that her friends struggled to focus in school and while she approves the move, she doesn’t believe it is enough to improve the learning environment at her school.

Counteracting the Popularity of Phone Use in Brazil
Brazilians have one of the highest smartphone use rates in the world according to AP. There are actually more phones than people in this South American country with 258 million devices for 203 million people. Brazilians spend over nine hours a day on their phones. This is a difficult habit to break.

Smartphones have been associated with bullying and mental health issues. That’s why Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg apologized at a US Senate hearing for the harm that social media does to bullied children.

Mariana Waetge, a 13-year-old student at Porto Seguro told AP, that she uses her smartphone to talk with friends and family and to find entertainment on Instagram. Now that she is forced to put her phone away at school, she has found new ways  to interact with friends.

The restriction, she said,  also helped “people who didn’t have many friends and would use their phones to hide from making new friends or to avoid being out there.” She added, “Now they don’t have that option anymore. These people end up playing board games or reading books.”

Brazil is leading the pack of other countries including France and China that are limiting smartphone use in schools.This will help children’s academic performance as well as improve their mental health and wellbeing.