The Netherlands recently announced that smartphones, tablets, and smart watches will be banned from classrooms from 1 January 2024 as these disrupt learning and affect school children’ performance.
This country is the latest to join a spade of other countries, including France, Australia, and Finland to ban devices in schools.
The United Nation’s education, science and culture agency (UNESCO) agreed that smartphones should be banned from schools to tackle classroom disruption, and to change the perception that technology or digital education is a healthy replacement for real-life face-to-face learning and teaching. The limited use of smartphones and other digital smart devices would also contribute to improved learning outcomes, better grades, and protecting children from cyberbullying.
“We fully support these initiatives and want to appeal to South African schools and government to follow suit,” says Dr Marlena Kruger, digital wellness expert and director at the TechnoLife Wise Foundation.
“We should, however, not wait for government to make a law against the use of smart devices in classrooms. Teachers, parents, and caregivers must stand together and take responsibility for our children’s learning and holistic development, which are currently at great risk.”
In September 2022, the Technolife Wise Foundation, which raises awareness about the dangers of overexposure to screens, partnered with Roosevelt High School in Johannesburg and spearheaded the Wait Until Grade 8 campaign. This challenge aims to empower parents to say YES to delay access to the internet and social media via smartphones to at least Grade 8 or fourteen years. This age limit is aligned with the documented age restrictions of social media platforms. “We extended this campaign with the drive to get as many parents to sign the petition on the foundation’s website (www.technolifewise.org) to ban smartphones from schools,” says Dr Kruger.
“This campaign aims to get at least 50 000 parents to support the banning of smartphones from schools by December 2023. We are making a heartfelt request that you be brave, grab your best friends, and support these lifesaving actions to protect and nurture our most loving and vulnerable children and their bright future.”
It is, however, not only in classrooms that the overuse of screens wreak havoc. “A recent study shows that the earlier a child gets a phone, the greater the chance of them developing mental health problems as a young adult,” says Dr Kruger.
When children are overexposed to screens and social media, they don’t develop the necessary social and emotional regulation skills, thereby leading to more bullying, stress, anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts. They also become less active, thereby limiting the development of their brain and bodies. This physical inactivity contributes to the development of other neural and learning disorders, such as ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), weak eyesight, obesity, diabetes, and other illnesses.
“We want to plea with parents to make their children’s future a priority and take a stand against the overuse of smart devices. Please sign the petition now (www.technolifewise.org) and together protect our children,” Dr Kruger concludes.
The TechnoLife Wise Foundation also empowers parents, educators, and caregivers to replace screen time with green development time so that they and their families can be healthy-balanced and happy in our digital-driven world.



