Smartphones should be banned from schools to tackle classroom disruption, improve learning and protect children from cyberbullying, recommends the UN in a report.
Unesco, the UN's education, science and culture agency, said there was evidence that excessive mobile phone use was linked to reduced educational performance and that high levels of screen time had a negative effect on children's emotional stability.
The agency said its call for a smartphone ban sends a clear message to digital technology as a whole, including artificial intelligence. All this should always be subordinated to a "human-centered vision" of education and should never replace face-to-face interaction with teachers.
Unesco has warned policymakers against recklessly embracing digital technology, arguing that its positive impact on learning outcomes and economic efficiency could be overstated and that new is not always best.
"Not all change is progress. The fact that something can be done does not mean that it should be done", he says. As more and more learning moves online, especially in universities, he urged policymakers not to neglect the "social dimension" of education where students receive face-to-face instruction.
"Those who urge increasing individualization may be missing the point of what education is all about."
