Editorial | Schools must limit the use of smartphones
A blanket ban like that imposed in Zhengzhou may not work in Hong Kong, but nonetheless efforts must be made to instil a sense of self-discipline
Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, has banned the use of mobile phones by students in primary and secondary schools. The city is more than a thousand kilometres away from Hong Kong, yet the move is worth examining not only here but around the world as evidence accumulates on the negative impact addiction to electronic devices and social media has on the young.
Under the decision by the Standing Committee of the Zhengzhou People’s Congress, schools are required to tightly restrict students from bringing phones onto campuses and “no phones should be brought into classrooms unless for teaching purposes”.
Parents are also told to regulate phone use by their children after school to “prevent or correct students’ addiction to phones and the internet as early as possible”.
The southern city of Guangzhou earlier also passed a law empowering schools to regulate the use of mobile phones on campus, but stopped short of imposing a blanket ban.
The move followed a 2021 directive by the Ministry of Education that the device was “in principle” prohibited on school campuses.
China is not alone in tackling what is essentially a growing problem around the world. From Australia’s social media ban for those aged under 16 to restrictions of mobile phone usage in schools in other countries, there appears to be a growing recognition that some sort of intervention is warranted.
