Stricter smartphone rules at schools
The use of smartphones is prohibited at ever more schools in Germany. An expert committee is exploring how to protect children against dangers online.
Berlin (d.de) - At the start of the new school year, the German federal states of Brandenburg, Bremen, Hesse, Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia have tightened their rules governing the use of smartphones at schools and are increasingly introducing bans that are already in force in other states such as Bavaria.
The aim is to improve pupils’ concentration and social skills. “Personal phones are not necessary at school; on the contrary, they distract from the learning process and prevent pupils from interacting and getting exercise during breaktimes,” said Bremen’s Education Senator Sascha Karolin Aulepp.
The high digital media consumption of children and young people is also being discussed in Germany. The German government’s drug and addiction commissioner, Hendrik Streeck, is campaigning for “strictly staggered age limits for social media”. “It has been scientifically proven that children and young people who consume large amounts of age-inappropriate content are more prone to risky addictive behaviour,” said Streeck. The Federal Ministry for Family Affairs has tasked an expert committee with drawing up recommendations for how to better protect children against dangers online - such as sexual violence and cyberbullying.