Ban on Mobile Phones in Schools Takes Effect from Today

On Monday, September 2, school started in Hungary, and with it came the entry into force of a decree banning the use of mobile phones in schools. Although the regulation has caused great stir, many other European countries have already introduced similar measures.

The regulation banning the use of mobile phones in schools was published in early August. Children are allowed to bring their phones in school, but they must hand them in to a designated teacher before the start of lessons.

The law aims to ensure that children can only rarely use their digital devices as learning aids with the permission of their teachers, but not at all during their time at school.

With the new regulation, students can still use their mobile phones before and after school, and if necessary, they can get permission to use them.

As Hungary Today reported, Bence Rétvári, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Ministry of the Interior, announced the introduction of the bill early June. An increasing number of domestic and international research studies show that unlimited mobile phone use in schools has a negative impact on students’ attention and performance, the State Secretary explained the reason of the measure.

In addition to Hungary, several other European governments already have or are planning to introduce similar rules.

The Netherlands, for instance, have also taken decisive steps to ban mobile phones from schools to reduce children’s screen times and cyberbullying. Mobile phones have been banned in Dutch secondary schools since January 2024, while a ban on mobile phones in primary schools was introduced in September this year. The French government also intends to follow suit, with plans to introduce a “digital break” in all schools from 2025. Ireland‘s education minister announced last week that the government is considering the introduction of a mobile phone ban in secondary schools.

According to Politico, some schools in Belgium have also started to restrict the use of mobile phones this autumn. As the article states, in Brussels and Belgium’s southern region of Wallonia, hundreds of schools plan to introduce a ban on mobile phone use in schools.

I fully support initiatives like this across #Europe. Starting today, #Hungary has also implemented a nationwide ban on phones in schools, promoting better focus and mental health among students. https://t.co/W04qODnIka. pic.twitter.com/f2ytPEKTU5

— Balázs Orbán (@BalazsOrban_HU) September 2, 2024

In Hungary, however, not everyone welcomed the ban on mobile phones in schools.

The Imre Madách High School in Budapest, for instance, announced in a statement on its website that teachers will not take mobile phones away from children. Referring to paragraph 5 of the regulation, which states that the possession and use of devices may be regulated by the headmaster of the institution, the statement says that they will not collect mobile phones from the pupils. “The pedagogical aim of our school is to educate the correct use of digital culture, not to ban it. The use of devices can take place in any class, thus it would be unrealistic to have a permanent give-and-take policy,” the statement reads. A few days later, the Interior Ministry dismissed the school’s principal from his position, stating: “A leader who does not comply with the law and openly defies it cannot run a public institution.”

Following the decision of the Ministry of the Interior, a new statement was published on the Facebook page of the Madách Imre High School, expressing the dismay of the school’s staff. On Wednesday last week and today, students and teachers of the school held a demonstration calling on Interior Minister Sándor Pintér to revoke the decision to dismiss Csaba Mészáros, the school principal.

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