Mobile phones – responsibility and duty to protect

If we follow public discussions about the presence of digital media in our children’s lives, we will have noticed a growing counter-movement for some time now. Indeed, mobile phones have no place in schools or in the hands of children!

According to publications by the two American psychologists Jonathan Haidt and Zach Rausch, various American states created—and with astonishing speed—a legal basis for implementing bans on mobile phones in public schools. Some states have taken measures to reduce mobile phone use in schools, in yet others states, bans are already partially in force. All of this is supported across the entire political spectrum. These efforts do not stand alone. China was a pioneer in restricting mobile phones in their schools.
  Last year, countries such as Brazil, France, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Australia passed laws, or took measures to restrict—in some instances completely abolishing—the use of mobile phones and the Internet by children and young people. The UNESCO organisation for education, science, culture and communication also recommends smartphone-free schools because they distract from lessons and hinder learning.
  UNESCO recommends that new technologies should be used only if they can be proven to benefit learning. Danish Education Minister Mattias Tesfaye even apologised to the children of his country because they had become guinea pigs in a digital experiment, the extent and consequences of which were unforeseeable. Instead of children swiping on iPads, books are to be used again in Danish schools and classrooms are to be reclaimed as educational spaces.

Parents and teachers around the world

Of course, those in favour of children using mobile phones (with the corresponding vested interests) demanded that further studies should be carried out. This is a long-standing and diehard obstacle to discussion! However, Haidt and Rausch note that “... parents and teachers around the world have seen the damage done to students’ attention, education and mental health when they spend a large part of the school day on their phones texting, scrolling and posting on social media, watching videos and playing video games”. They added: “Adults looking back on their own school days can see how much learning, friendship, and fun would have been lost if they had each been allowed to bring a small TV to school and watch TV all day long, even at lunch and break.”

They want to protect others

In a guest article, the two researchers Haidt and Rausch (see below) let Deb Schmill, whose daughter Becca died as a young woman, have her say. According to Schmill, the path to her daughter’s death was paved by social media. Becca’s parents are therefore now working with their Becca Schmill Foundation to protect other children, young people and their families from such a fate. Becca’s mother has this to say:

 “Although some of my daughter’s experiences were unique, cyberbullying, unwanted advances, easy access to drugs, stolen attention, and stolen time are faced by millions of kids. Social media is designed to steal the attention of kids and teens who are at pivotal stages of their mental development. Like any product designed to addict their users, many of their consumers lose their ability to be in control.”

Political responsible
parties have a duty

Becca’s parents therefore expect political decision-makers to campaign for a ban on mobile phones in schools. Banning mobile phones in schools will help to accomplish the following:

• prevent children from being constantly distracted and improve concentration on learning,

• school will once again become a common training ground for social and emotional relationships,

• a reduction in incidents of bullying, acts of violence, and suicidal behaviour that have their origins in antisocial media,

• financial resources will be available to enhance learning rather than being used to combat the negative psychosocial side effects that have their roots in the excessive use of mobile phones and the internet (addiction, mental illnesses).

Economic interests
are being covered up

And Switzerland? It’s hard to comprehend what is happening in Switzerland. The mobile phone provider Swisscom, a company owned by the Swiss federation, is “delighting” thousands of Swiss families with a media guide in which they want to persuade parents to give their child a mobile phone at a young age, thus covering up their economic interests with pseudo-educational recommendations. This is from their guide:

“Between the ages of 7 and 10, children are more receptive to parental guidance and this is a particularly favourable time for media education. After that, children begin to detach themselves from their parents and friends become more important.”

At these ages, children are indeed particularly susceptible to falling into addictive media behaviour. This is exactly Swisscom’s purpose. This is when and how children are won over as customers.
  This is precisely why children need authentic guidance on how they can courageously and successfully tackle the real tasks that they naturally face in their everyday lives at home, school, and in society – mobile phones and the Internet are not part of this. (There will be plenty of time for the much-vaunted “handling” of digital devices later, just like learning to drive a car!)
  Unfortunately, there are even schools that distribute this brochure to parents.

A clear No

In contrast to this “parents’ guide” is the opinion of the population, which was surveyed by the Swiss opinion research institute Sotomo at the end of 2024. The survey shows an increasingly critical attitude among the Swiss population towards mobile phone use and so-called “social” media among children and young people. 82 to 89 per cent of respondents would like to see a ban on mobile phones in schools. Even 18 to 25-year-olds support such a ban with an astonishing 64%. The ban on mobile phones also enjoys broad support among political parties, especially among the SP, SVP and Greens; only the GLP is slightly below these figures. A ban on TikTok is also favoured by two thirds respondents.

An important
change of opinion – and now?

It seems that in Switzerland, too, the initial euphoria about digital media has given way to widespread scepticism. This is due to justified concerns about concentration problems, disrupted social interactions, and addiction problems. All of which are a burden on the younger generation.
  The Swiss population obviously does not want mobile phones in schools. The question arises: when will those responsible in education departments and educational training centres finally follow suit and fulfil their duty to protect our children? •

Sources:

Haidt, Jonathan; Rausch, Zach and Schmill, Deb (guest author). How to (and how NOT to) mandate mobile phone-free schools; https://www.afterbabel.com/p/how-to-and-how-not-to-mandate-phone?

Swisscom. My first mobile phone. Parents’ Guide No. 8; https://www.swisscom.ch/content/dam/swisscom/de/sai-new/enter/erstes-smartphone/sc_blue-kids_de_20231013interaktives.pdf

Sotomo. Population calls for mobile phone ban. The study was published in full at the beginning of 2025; https://sotomo.ch/site/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Sotomo_BEGH_Handyverbot.pdf