Measures include restricting the device in classrooms and common spaces

Thinking about the possible impacts of cell phone use on academic performance, schools in Salvador adopt strategies to coexist with new technologies. Among the measures is the restriction of the use of the device in classrooms and living spaces.

Located in the Federation, Land School prohibited the use of devices in all spaces of the institution. The pedagogical coordinator of the institution’s elementary school II, Daniela Davis-Becker, says that the measure aims to avoid distractions in academic activities, in addition to increasing students’ concentration and productivity.

“Initially, the ban was applied only in the classroom. We then expanded to fifth to seventh grade students, restricting use in all school spaces. This resulted in increased student engagement in activities, in addition to an average increase of 12% in academic performance. With this, we extended it to the other grades of elementary school II”, he says.

According to Daniela, the implementation of the restriction was done gradually so that everyone could adapt to the new reality, in addition to enabling impacts on the educational process. She talks about how the rule impacted the coexistence between young people.

“We noticed an improvement in behavior, with an increase in interactions between students, creating deeper relationships between them. We also saw a gain in resilience and patience skills. The virtual world is very immediate and a small delay already causes anxiety in those who are using it and this translates into the classroom”, he adds.

The institutions’ concern arises at a time when children and adolescents are increasingly present in virtual spaces. A survey produced by TIC Kids Online Brasil shows that 56% of young people aged 9 to 17 in classes AB and C use the internet in the school environment. Among Class D students, the number drops to 44%. The survey also shows that cell phones are the device most used by students.

Villa Global Education, located in Paralela, tried to integrate the device into the pedagogical routine. Pedagogical director Selma Brito reports that the school sought to make a commitment to developing digital citizenship among students. Practice, however, showed the need for a new direction.

“We need to suspend cell phone use as a learning item, as it distracts attention in the classroom. We started recommending other devices to parents, such as tablets and notebooks, indicating what should be available on the equipment to boost our work”, he states.

The institution also investigated how the device affected socializing during breaks. The analysis resulted in the extension of the ban to almost the entire school environment, with use being restricted to small areas in the school, at specific times.

“We consider that cell phones ensure that families can monitor their children and we chose places to establish free zones at school. These are usually the spaces where they wait for their parents at the end of their shift or go for a snack and can take the opportunity to call their parents and arrange something”, he concludes.

Industrial Social Service (Sesi) schools began to ban the use of cell phones in classrooms in the second half of 2024. Sesi’s executive superintendent of Education and Culture, Clessia Lobo states that the measure had unanimous support from the families of students

“We can see that the cell phone can cause inattention and increase the student’s anxiety, who starts to deal with different subjects at the same time, damaging learning. The implementation of the restriction was not simple as students still have difficulties and problems with irritability due to the lack of and dependence on the device”, he declares.

The State Education Council, the State Department of Education (SEC) and the Municipal Department of Education (SMED) were contacted to find out how the regulation of cell phones works in public schools in the capital, but did not respond by the time this report was written.