{"id":8590,"date":"2025-02-05T00:10:39","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T15:10:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/?p=8590"},"modified":"2025-01-29T00:20:56","modified_gmt":"2025-01-28T15:20:56","slug":"brazil-to-free-classrooms-from-the-invasion-of-mobile-phones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/sdgs-2\/brazil-to-free-classrooms-from-the-invasion-of-mobile-phones\/","title":{"rendered":"Brazil to Free Classrooms from the Invasion of Mobile Phones"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By\u00a0Mario Osava<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RIO DE JANEIRO (IPS)\u00a0<\/strong>– It was necessary to repel the \u201cinvasion\u201d of mobile phones in Brazilian classrooms, even to spark a debate about the use of technology in education, according to Silvana Veloso, an educator with extensive experience on the subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On January 13, Brazil enacted a law<\/a> that bans \u201cthe use of personal portable electronic devices by students during classes, recess, or breaks between classes at all levels of basic education,\u201d making it the first Latin American country to impose such a nationwide restriction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An unusual agreement among various opposing political factions allowed the new law to be passed by the National Congress in December 2024. Only a few far-right lawmakers, primarily from the Liberal Party<\/a>, voted against it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They wanted students to have access to phones to film \u201cindoctrinating practices\u201d by teachers and expose Marxist ideological activism, which they claim is contaminating Brazilian education. However, even some of their legislators supported the law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Restricting mobile phones in schools aims to \u201csafeguard the mental, physical, and psychological health of children and adolescents,\u201d as stated in the approved Law 15.100. It includes exceptions for pedagogical use, emergencies involving risks, or health and disability issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new law took immediate effect, with no transition period, and will be enforced starting in February, when the school year begins in this country of 212 million people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis law is small and limited, but positive because it mobilizes the community, parents, teachers, and even the school cafeteria staff, sparking debate,\u201d Veloso said. She does not reject technology in schools but advocates for its appropriate use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an educator, Veloso led the BH Digital program, a digital inclusion initiative in Belo Horizonte \u2013 the capital of the southern state of Minas Gerais, with 2.3 million inhabitants -, from its inception in 2004 until 2012.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The program established telecenters with 10 to 20 internet-connected computers in public institutions like libraries, assistance offices, cultural centers, and NGOs, as well as a mobile unit \u2013 a trailer equipped to teach computer classes in neighborhoods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With 40 of her 60 years dedicated to education, Veloso also served as Secretary of Education for Rio Acima<\/a>, a municipality of 10,000 residents, from 2022 to 2024. During her tenure, she implemented a technology program in local schools, including robotics labs. She continues to work as a teacher and advisor on the subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rio Acima and many other municipalities received computer equipment, such as desktops and tablets, but lacked the knowledge to use them effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unprepared Schools and Teachers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just as with the overwhelming presence of mobile phones, schools and teachers are generally unprepared to integrate new technologies into teaching, Veloso lamented. They have not developed pedagogical projects to incorporate these tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regarding mobile phones, which are owned by a vast majority of students, Veloso has witnessed troubling cases. In response to school violence, which surged in late 2022 and early 2023 \u2013 with five assaults and 11 deaths in five Brazilian states \u2013 students aged nine and ten in Rio Acima organized self-defense networks via WhatsApp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instructions on using kitchen knives to \u201cbleed the bandits\u201d who might invade schools and the preparation of Molotov cocktails were part of the group\u2019s discussions, until a mother found out through the students themselves, Veloso told IPS over the phone from Rio Acima, where she lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The leader of the movement was just 10 years old and headed several WhatsApp groups. \u201cThey were reproducing the violence\u201d they feared becoming victims of, Veloso noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another earlier case, from 2017, came to light when a student was found with cuts on her arm. It involved girls self-harming, encouraged by a website that promoted competitions among those who could cut themselves the most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Training, particularly for teachers, to manage and leverage technological innovations is the central challenge facing education, Veloso argued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTechnology does not cause regression; we are the ones responsible. Humanity has always sought interactive communication. What we have achieved is marvelous \u2013 phones that allow us to talk while seeing the other person\u2019s image are fascinating,\u201d but they require debate and dialogue for proper use, she concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Harm of Mobile Phones<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Numerous studies highlight the negative effects of mobile phones on learning, including attention deficits, social media addiction, and increased anxiety among students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brazil has become the first Latin American country to pass a law restricting mobile phones in schools, following a global trend. A quarter of the 194 member states of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have already adopted restrictive measures, particularly in Europe and Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the law takes effect in February, its full implementation requires regulations and protocols for schools managed by states (secondary schools) and municipalities (primary schools).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After political consensus, driven by the proven distraction caused by mobile phones in both schools and workplaces, the new law now prompts reflection on pedagogical projects in schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTechnology must be introduced into each school in an organized manner, avoiding the current chaos,\u201d said Bernardo Bai\u00e3o, coordinator of Educational Policies at Todos pela Educa\u00e7\u00e3o, a nonprofit civil society organization advocating for quality basic education in Brazil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The proliferation of mobile phones, combined with social media, has a cognitive dimension, affecting learning. Students themselves admit that it distracts them from their studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMore screen time, less learning,\u201d emphasized Bai\u00e3o, a history graduate turned educator, who has worked full-time for the Todos pela Educa\u00e7\u00e3o movement in Rio de Janeiro for the past three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other aspects of the technological challenge include the emotional impact on those who \u201ccannot live without social media\u201d and the social interaction aspect of \u201cliving and playing at school, making it naturally noisy, without the silence of mobile phones, which bring distant people closer while pushing away those nearby,\u201d he told IPS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTechnology is not the enemy. We must combine different tools. Printed books are better for memorization, but digital ones are more suitable for personalized teaching, addressing different needs and interests,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe teacher is more important than the computer or phone screen; technology cannot replace them,\u201d he stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ban on mobile phones in schools had already been implemented in many private schools, and four of Brazil\u2019s 26 states had passed their own legislation. In fact, 28% of schools had already adopted a total ban, with few exceptions, by 2023, according to the Internet Steering Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This committee includes government and civil society participants, including academics and industry representatives. It assists in internet governance, maintaining neutrality against political and private interests, and established the core principles of Brazil\u2019s internet law, the Civil Rights Framework for the Internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The swift passage of the national law was due to near-consensus in public opinion. A survey conducted by the non-governmental Locomotiva Institute in October 2024 showed that 82% of respondents supported banning mobile phones in schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

INPS Japan\/ IPS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Mario Osava RIO DE JANEIRO (IPS)\u00a0– It was necessary to repel the \u201cinvasion\u201d of mobile phones in Brazilian classrooms, even to spark a debate about the use of technology in education, according to Silvana Veloso, an educator with extensive experience on the subject. On January 13, Brazil enacted a law that bans \u201cthe use of personal portable […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8591,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,7,37,16,32,3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-8590","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-education-women-children","8":"category-goal4","9":"category-latin-america","10":"category-news","11":"category-regions","12":"category-sdgs-2"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8590","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8590"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8590\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8592,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8590\/revisions\/8592"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8591"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8590"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8590"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8590"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}