Portugal's Years 1-6 Students Start School Without Smartphones

(Photo by Karolina Grabowska/Pixabay)

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Portugal has banned the use of smartphones in public and private schools, Years 1 through 6, beginning this academic year this month, joining other countries which have banned or restricted the device's use in the hope of improving academic performance, reducing bullying, and increasing student socialization and well-being.

For students in Years 7 to 9 (Cycle 3), there is a recommendation of restrictive measures, which discourage the use of these devices in school spaces. Secondary school students (Years 10 to 12) are encouraged to be involved in the creation of rules for responsible use, according to Recommendations to schools for the implementation of rules and recommendations on the use of smartphones in school spaces (August 25), República Portuguesa website.

These rules apply to all educational establishments, with the following exceptions:

1. For proven health reasons;

2. For students with low command of the Portuguese language, who use their smartphone as a translation tool,

3. For educational purposes, duly authorized by the school.

   
   

"The XXV Constitutional Government is committed to the digital transition. This commitment is based on the recognition of the potential of digital technologies in the teaching-learning process and the need to equip young people with digital skills which will be essential for their adult lives.

"This recognition also is based on an awareness of the risks associated with the individual and unregulated use of devices, particularly smartphones.

"In schools, it is, therefore, important to emphasize the distinction between the use of digital technologies for learning -- properly integrated into a pedagogical project validated by the school and monitored by teachers -- and the individual use of devices by students for recreational purposes, which is susceptible to excessive, inappropriate and harmful use for young people's well-being, as indicated by extensive international evidence."

The República Portuguesa document "supports schools in implementing these rules and recommendations, drawn up based on the best practices outlined in the PLANAPP (Centro de Planeamento e da Avalição de Políticas Públicas) report, the contributions received in meetings with school principals, and a review of international literature".

The rules and recommendations apply to smartphones and other devices with internet access. Therefore, they do not apply to dumbphones (phones without internet access), although each agrupamento (school group) or non-grouped schools has the autonomy to restrict or prohibit them in its internal regulations, if it deems appropriate.

Recommendations Led to Rules

In September 2024, the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MECI) issued guidelines on the use of smartphones in educational establishments, recommending a ban on the devices from Years 1 through 6 and the adoption of restrictive measures in Years 7 through 9. A study was coordinated by PLANAPP (Center for Planning and Evaluation of Public Policies) to identify strategies followed by schools and perceived effects on student behavior.

The Council of Ministers approved the ban on July 3, reported Expresso (July 3).

The 97-page public policy center's report, Monitoring recommendations on smartphones in schools (July 25) answered two central questions: Did the schools adhere to the guidelines? Were the recommendations effective?

Did Schools Adhere to Education Ministry's Guidelines?

The study concluded that there was a significant increase of schools with regulatory policies after the the Ministry of Education issued guidelines. Before the recommendations, 40 percent of schools already had regulatory policies compared to 62.8 percent of agrupamentos (school groups) and 77.7 percent of non-grouped schools.

Were the Ministry's Recommendations Effective?

The study found that the Ministry of Education's recommendations "caused changes in practices which appear to be associated with positive results in student behavior and the school environment, especially in schools which adopted policies completely banning smartphone use. . . .

"For example, in the 2nd cycle (Years 5 and 6), 59 percent of principals and 66 percent of operational managers, at schools with a ban, perceived a reduction in bullying, in contrast to only 21 percent and 27 percent, respectively, in schools where mobile phone use is permitted."

The Ministry of Education's recommendations, according to the report, encouraged the involvement of secondary school students in the development of rules for the responsible use of smartphones in school spaces. However, survey data showed that only 41.1 percent of secondary schools involved students.

Study's Methodology

The study's methodology, in the first phase, was the gathering and mapping of state-of-the-art scientific and informational evidence. In the second phase, three data collection techniques were used: a questionnaire survey, interviews and focus groups.

The questionnaire survey response rate from principals was 100 percent, corresponding to all of the 809 primary and secondary schools in mainland Portugal and 85.9 percent of operational managers corresponding to 695 schools.

"The data collected through focus groups and interviews allowed us to capture additional aspects (which could not be identified using the questionnaire alone) of schools' decision-making processes, such as the influence of territorial and social factors."

For example, "in rural or sparsely populated settings, the need for communication between students and guardians led to the adoption of more flexible measures, such as allowing mobile phones to be brought to school, even if switched off, or their use outside of school hours."

"No Conclusive Data"

Scientific America (September 5, 2024) reported:

"Whether (restrictive) rules achieve their intended ultimate goals -- improving educational attainment and throttling bullying and issues around well-being -- is still being debated by scientists, as are potential unintended consequences."

The Center for Planning and Evaluation of Public Policies study repeatedly pointed out that there was "no robust or conclusive data" on the effect of mobile phone (cellphone) restrictions.

"Regarding academic performance", "some of the studies analyzed report only perceived associated effects and do not allow for the inference of causal relationships".

"Nevertheless, the available empirical evidence tends to indicate that negative effects outweigh possible positive effects (Baert et al., 2018).

A review of the literature conducted by the Portuguese Association of Psychologists (2024) identifies that most of the negative impacts associated with the use of digital technologies in schools are related to unregulated smartphone use.

"Among the main effects identified are poor academic performance and difficulties concentrating, often associated with the phenomenon of FOMO (fear of missing out) and multitasking. Attempting to perform multiple tasks simultaneously compromises engagement and learning effectiveness. After receiving notifications or simply checking their mobile phone, students can take up to 20 minutes to regain concentration.

"Other negative factors frequently mentioned in the literature include the trade-off between time spent on leisure activities using cell phones and time dedicated to studying, as well as cognitive overload (Abrahamsson, 2024; Baert et al., 2018; Beneito & Vicente-Chirivella, 2020; Chen & Yan, 2016; Hawi & Samaha, 2016; Junco & Cotten, 2011, 2023, Kus, 2025).

"UNESCO (2018) also states that the presence of smartphones/tablets can make classroom management difficult, either by accessing inappropriate websites or by increasing noise."

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Other Countries

The 2023 Global Education Monitoring Report argued for technology to be used in class only when it supports learning outcomes, according to To ban or not to ban? UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ) (January 24).

"This message includes the use of smartphones.

"By the end of 2023, 60 educational systems (or 30 percent) had bans on smartphone use in schools in their laws or policies. By the end of 2024, an update finds that 19 more education systems were banning the use of smartphones in schools, bringing the total to 79 (or 40 percent)."

Bans in most countries, like Portugal, include exceptions to the rule.

Asia

Measures to restrict smartphones are most common in Central and South Asia, states the Center for Planning and Evaluation of Public Policies study.

"These countries include Bangladesh, where, since 2017, both teachers and students have been banned from bringing smartphones into classrooms; and Tajikistan, which prohibits the use of mobile devices in primary, secondary and vocational schools (UNESCO, 2023).

In China, mobile phones in schools are banned, reported BBC News (February 2, 2021). Many schools in China already had restricted the use of mobile phones on their premises. In extreme cases, phones have been smashed in front of students who have broken the rules.

"The authorities say that they want to protect young people's eyesight, improve their concentration and prevent internet addiction."

There have been rising levels of nearsightedness among children in China.

However, in South Korea, a regulatory body argued that a complete ban would infringe on students' basic rights, such as freedom of communication. (It is not surprising that the country is concerned about preserving its residents' civil rights. On December 3, 2024, South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, prompting massive protests, impeachment and removal from office. Yoon Suk Yeol is now on trial for insurrection, reported BBC News (July 3).

South America, Caribbean

Brazil banned smartphones from schools in February, reported the Los Angeles Times. (February 7).

Before the national law, most of Brazil's 26 states already had applied restrictions to mobile phone use in schools. Allies of both President Luiz Inácio da Silva (Lula) and far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro supported the legislation.

A survey, released in October 2024 by pollster Datafolha, said that almost two-thirds of respondents wanted to ban smartphone use by children and teenagers at schools. More than three-quarters said that the devices do more harm than good to children.

In Barbados, beginning this school year, only students in the higher levels of secondary school will be allowed to use mobile phones during the school day, reported the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (September 6).

United States

In the United States, at least 31 out of 50 states and the District of Columbia (D.C., the nation's capital) require school districts to ban or restrict students' use of cellphones in schools, according to Education Week (July 17). Some other states are either encouraging or recommending that local school districts enact their own bans or restrictive policies.

California, for example, requires all public (government), schools to adopt a policy by July 1, 2026, to restrict student's cellphone use during the school day. However, Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest in the country with 540,000 students and 1,000 schools, already banned smartphones in February.

At the start of the ban, Los Angeles Unified School Board President Scott Schmerelson said that some parents had expressed concern, reported the Center for Digital Education (February 19).

"They understand -- students shouldn't have their phones on," said Schmerelson. "They shouldn't be interrupting the lessons of their teachers, but they're worried about safety. They always mention school shootings. They always mention lockdowns. They always mention emergency situations. That's what bothers them."

Los Angeles Unified School Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, a native of Bairro Alto in Lisbon, told KCAL News (August 13) that the policy will remain in place this year.

"We have seen surveys in how kids' perceptions of themselves in school have improved," said Superintendent Alberto Carvalho. "We have seen a reduction in bullying. It is working."

Carvalho saw a change in students weeks after enactment of the ban. He told ABC 7 Eyewitness News (April 2):

"They're looking each other in the eye. They're speaking. They're providing opinions. They're telling jokes. They're playing games. They are being human beings. We need that level of social interaction. I know at the beginning, if you ask them, they will tell you it was very disruptive because it was something that forced them to break away from something they were accustomed to and, unfortunately, in some instances, addicted to."

On the other side of the country, in New York City, Zoe George, a senior at Bard High School Early College, finds the state's ban, effective this school year, to be "annoying", reported National Public Radio (September 1).

Zoe George regretted that her concerns and those of others were not heard by authorities. She is worried about the implications for doing homework and schoolwork during free periods. Also, she is sad because she will not get to take photographs and videos of her friends throughout the day. She feels that she will not have memories of her final year as she does from her earlier years at the school.

Yet, the spontaneous taking of photographs and their posting on social media are cited by some students as creating great anxiety.

Africa, Europe

In Africa, the center's study said that countries, such as Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Guinea, have established strict rules to prevent smartphone use in schools, with severe penalties for repeat offenses, according to the center's study.

Chad has imposed a ban on mobile phones in schools, according to West Africa Democracy Radio (January 7). Togo has done the same, reported TRT Global (September 17, 2024).

Most European countries also have been strengthening or implementing policies regarding smartphones.

Denmark has banned mobile phones from schools (The Guardian, March 5); the government of The Netherlands has recommended a ban, and almost all schools have complied (The Guardian, July 4), and in the United Kingdom, in a survey of 15,000 schools, 99.8 percent of primary schools and 90 percent of secondary schools have some sort of ban (The Guardian, April 10). In the U.K., in 2023/24, there were 29,579 schools, according to the government's official website.

On the other hand, according to the public policies center report, Estonia stands out in Europe.

"Instead of restricting it, the country is focusing on the active integration of technology into education, promoting the mandatory use of artificial intelligence and digital literacy and core components of the school curriculum."

Digitalization of 99 percent of public services helped Estonia experience low rates of bribery (2 percent) and use of personal connections (12 percent compared to Portugal's 48 percent), reported Transparency International (TI) in Global Corruption Barometer, European Union 2021: Citizens’ Views and Experiences of Corruption.

“People apply for official documents, declare taxes and register with schools online. In very few areas does someone need to interact with a public official directly, which reduces opportunity for corruption. When such contact is necessary, communications are traced with a digital paper trail, which largely prevents officials misusing their power, as wrongdoing is more easily detected.”

In conclusion, the Center for Planning and Evaluation of Public Policies report recommended five factors for success in implementing policies:

1. Involvement of the educational community, which includes students, teachers and parents;

2. Clear and timely communication;

3. Creation of attractive alternatives to mobile phones;

4. Gradual implementation of measures and,

5. Safeguarding of exceptions, such as health or teaching needs.