Vienna's Education Councilor Wiederkehr Wants to Ban Mobile Phones in Primary Schools

Upon leaving the school building, the mobile phones could then be retrieved from these safes.

"Mobile Phone is a Distraction Killer"

If the mobile phone ban in primary schools proves successful, it would be conceivable to extend it to other types of schools - such as middle schools, Wiederkehr suggested. The city councillor complained that the mobile phone would increasingly distract students from their lessons. "The addiction to mobile phones and social media is massively increasing, the mobile phone is a distraction killer," Wiederkehr found.

In the daily newspaper "Heute", Wiederkehr recently advocated for a nationwide clear regulation for an age-appropriate mobile phone ban at schools. The use of the devices for educational purposes should, of course, continue to be possible.

Vienna Not Alone in Mobile Phone Ban

Vienna is not the first federal state where stricter regulation of mobile phone use in schools is being debated. Just on Monday, Carinthia's Education Officer Daniel Fellner (SPÖ) announced that he would ban mobile phone use in primary schools by decree. For ten to fourteen-year-olds, there should be a "regulated use". Fellner also stated a nationwide uniform solution as his goal.

In Styria, a decree is already being drafted, the mobile phone ban should apply during lessons up to the 7th grade. Although 99 percent of schools are already living the ban, a legal basis for it is now to be created.

Mobile Phone Ban Rules Already Possible

Basically, schools can already establish rules for mobile phone use in class or on school premises within their school autonomy, either in the house rules or in class contracts. The Ministry of Education has recommended rules to schools. The lesson should be "basically a mobile-free time" if the mobile phone is not used for research, for example.

The regulation in the house rules is considered "a good way" in Vorarlberg, according to Barbara Schöbi-Fink (ÖVP), the regional education councillor, speaking to APA. This model is already working in many primary and secondary schools in Vorarlberg. For example, "mobile phone garages" or bans during lessons or from 8.00 to 12.00 or even in the afternoon have been established via house rules. However, she saw "regulations without involving those affected" as difficult. She emphasized that parents in particular were also affected.

In Lower Austria, there will also be no general ban on mobile phones, it was said on Wednesday in response to an APA inquiry from the office of the regional education councillor Christiane Teschl-Hofmeister (ÖVP). The younger the students are, the more restrictive the handling of the smartphone must be. "Especially in primary schools, the use of digital teaching content is generally limited to a minimum. We are clearly against the use of mobile phones during school hours that is not related to teaching," it was emphasized in a written statement.

Together with the education directorate and other experts, best practice examples and guidelines on the subject of mobile phone use in schools are currently being developed, which are to be made available to educational institutions in the future. "Mobile phone competent" school will be made a focus by the education directorate in the coming summer semester. "Our approach in Lower Austria is to show teachers, parents and students the risks and opportunities that can come with the use of smartphones," it was further stated.

Similarly, the Salzburg regional education councillor Daniela Gutschi (ÖVP) sees appropriate rules of conduct or regulations best placed in the area of school autonomy due to the different needs and challenges of individual school locations. "Here, schools can individually and as needed establish regulations within the framework of the house rules. There are very different approaches, including the one to integrate the mobile phone specifically into the lessons, which is why a top-down ban is not really purposeful from our point of view," she said in response to an APA inquiry. If bans or rules of conduct were to be introduced, a uniform solution for all of Austria would make sense from her point of view.

And her Upper Austrian colleague Christine Haberlander (ÖVP) also referred to the house rules. "A recent survey shows that over 85 percent of teachers confirm that there are such clear rules in their schools." At the same time, however, she is open to a general guideline: "Basically, I can support a nationwide mobile phone ban for primary schools." But the decisive factor is not the handling at school, but the consumption at home. "Here it is important to establish clear rules in the families: A week has 168 hours. Primary school students are only in school for just over 20 hours a week. The parents therefore bear a significant responsibility."

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.