Nordic nations turn back the clock with school smartphone bans

Perhaps some of the most digitized countries on Earth, Scandinavian and Nordic nations are now going old-school—introducing nationwide bans on mobile devices, including smartphones, in schools. In Denmark, the country’s government hopes to introduce a ban on smartphones in public schools starting August next year. Trongårdsskolen in Kongens Lyngby, 12 kilometers north of Copenhagen, is a mobile-free school. Two years ago, teachers at the Danish high school, which educates around 700 children aged between 9 and 16, put forward a motion to parents and school officials. Teacher Bent Povlsen, 64, says things were getting out of hand—from constant interruptions in classes to “zombie” students sitting quietly on their phones, not interacting with fellow pupils. Parents would even call in the middle of class to discuss dinner or shopping trips. "We saw a lot of students losing focus, we saw them lose concentration. They were mentally not really present in school,” recalls Povlsen. “They stopped playing, they stopped doing sports, they actually stopped talking with each other during breaks. That was a really sad moment.” Now, when students arrive for the school day, they place their mobile devices—including smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches—into a secure cabinet, where they’re locked away until the end of classes. Special exceptions are made for students who need devices for diabetes apps or for disabilities like dyslexia, for example. Povlsen, who’s been teaching at the school for 39 years, says it’s been a “really good decision.” "It's been a huge success,” he says. “Today, we are back to normal. We see happy and smiling students. We see children playing. In classrooms, we see more focus, more concentration. So, we are on track again." Some Trongårdsskolen students embrace the rules, while others feel they are excessive. "We talk a lot at recess now. We used to maybe just play some games on our phones or scroll or something, but now, we talk,” smiles 14-year-old Nanna Christiansen. “At first, people were kind of like, ‘Oh, so annoying, you have to give up your phone,’ and they just didn't really hand them in,” says 15-year-old student Sally Jensen, who calls it a “pointless rule.” This article was provided by The Associated Press.