Education Shouldn’t Be a Lottery: Why We Need a National Ban on Phones in Schools

Meeting together with colleagues from the Digital Ethics Center.

I participated in the hearings held in the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania on three draft laws on Education, which aim to regulate the use of mobile phones and other smart devices in schools. The subject of the discussion is which provision should be enshrined in the law: a looser one, leaving schools to set their own rules, or a stricter one, clearly setting restrictions.

My position is clear - I support a unified restriction of personal smart devices on a national scale, rather than leaving the decision to individual schools. A child's learning environment cannot be a lottery that depends on the postal code. It cannot be the case that in one school an environment conducive to attention is created for children and they study with concentration, while in another they are constantly distracted by their phones just because they live at a different address. This contradicts the idea of ​​a unified education system.

Practically the absolute majority of those who spoke - from teachers' associations to scientists - unanimously agreed: the limit has been reached in schools where limiting personal smart devices is inevitable and necessary. The only ones who still need to be convinced: the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports. I hope that it has heard the voice of the absolute majority and will make the right decision - to establish a unified restriction of smart devices in schools on a national scale.