DSEDJ: Schools have the liberty to decide on mobile phone bans on the campus

The Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) stated that schools in Macau have the autonomy to establish their own rules regarding mobile phone use by students on campus. In a written response to an inquiry from the Times, the bureau clarified that they only offer guidelines.

While the topic is not new, it has recently resurfaced in public discourse following the Macau Portuguese School’s (EPM) announcement that it is contemplating a ban on the use of this type of electronic device on campus.

In response to the Times, DSEDJ said, “Utilizing the School Operations Guide, the DSEDJ provides schools with references on the use of information appliances and how to assist students in making good use of the internet.”

“Schools are also reminded to refer to the health authority’s recommendations concerning daily screen time on electronic devices for different age groups [as well as] to guide students to foster the right attitude and proper habits in using the Internet and mobile phones whilst striking a balance between schoolwork and leisure time,” it added.

The education authority is also said to promote healthy habits regarding electronic device use through parenting education, preventive and continuous guidance activities, and publicity efforts on social media platforms, among others.

“DSEDJ continuously raises the awareness of making good use of electronic products among parents and young people, enhances their Internet literacy, teaches students to exercise self-discipline when using electronic products, and reminds parents to set a good example to their children,” the bureau remarked.

The DESDJ also noted that most schools have installed phone lockers to store students’ mobile phones during classes.

“Most schools have phone lockers/holders for students who have obtained parental consent to bring mobile phones to school to place and keep their devices orderly during school hours to prevent classroom teaching and student concentration from being disturbed.”

In an interview with public broadcaster TDM, Jorge Neto Valente, president of the EPM Foundation, stated that the school board is focused on enhancing efforts to limit the use of electronic devices, with the goal of fostering socialization among students rather than screen time.

He also noted that there is a lack of consensus within the school community on this issue, as parents hold differing opinions, prompting the school to initiate a survey.

Study finds school phone bans not enough to alter behavior

Banning phones in schools is not linked to students getting higher marks or better mental wellbeing, a study by the University of Birmingham that claims to be the first of this kind suggests.

According to the study, the academics found that students’ sleep patterns, classroom behavior, exercise, and time spent on their phones also seem to be the same in schools with phone bans and those without.

However, the same researchers found that spending longer on smartphones and social media was generally linked to worse results for all those measures.

According to a report from the British broadcaster BBC, Dr. Victoria Goodyear, the study’s lead author, remarked that the findings were not against smartphone bans in schools but suggested that those bans, as an isolated measure, are insufficient to tackle the negative impacts.

Goodyear added that to tackle the problem of excessive use of devices; the focus needs to be on reducing how much time students spend on their phones and that such a factor is beyond school gates.

The study, published by the Lancet’s Journal for European Health Policy, compared 1,227 students and their 30 different secondary schools’ rules for smartphone use during break and lunchtime.

The study used the internationally recognized Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scales to determine participants’ well-being. It also looked at students’ anxiety and depression levels.

Throughout the world, there are many examples of jurisdictions and countries that have adopted restrictive measures (including the complete ban on mobile phones in schools). Those that adopted such rules earlier, like Australia and the UK, are now moving the debate on banning not access to devices but to certain types of content, such as social media platforms, for under-16s.