Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has approved legislation to prohibit the use of smartphones in schools, following a global trend.
Beginning in February, the shift will affect pupils in primary and high schools across the South American nation.
It establishes a legal framework to ensure that pupils only use such gadgets in times of emergency or danger, for educational purposes, or if they have a disability that requires them.
“We cannot allow humanism to be replaced by algorithms,” Lula said in a closed ceremony at the presidential palace in the capital, Brasilia, adding that the bill “acknowledges the work of every serious person in education, everyone who wants to take care of children and teenagers in this country.”
In May, Fundacao Getulio Vargas, a leading think-tank and university, said Brazil had more smartphones than people, with 258 million devices for a population of 203 million Brazilians.
Local market researchers said last year that Brazilians spend 9 hours and 13 minutes per day on screens, one of the world’s highest figures.
Education minister Camilo Santana told journalists that children are going online at early ages, making it harder for parents to keep track of what they do, and that restricting smartphones at school will help them.
The bill had rare support across the political spectrum, both from allies of leftist Lula and his far-right foe, former President Jair Bolsonaro.
Many parents and students also approved the move.
As of 2023, about two-thirds of Brazilian schools imposed some restriction on cellphone use, while 28% banned them entirely.
The Brazilian states of Rio de Janeiro, Maranhao and Goias have already passed local bills to ban such devices at schools. However, authorities have struggled to enforce these laws.
Authorities in Sao Paulo, the most populous state in Brazil, are discussing whether smartphones should be banned both in public and private schools.
Institutions, governments, parents and others have for years associated smartphone use by children with bullying, suicidal ideation, anxiety and loss of concentration necessary for learning.
China moved last year to limit children’s use of smartphones, while France has in place a ban on smartphones in schools for kids aged six to 15.
Cell phone bans have gained traction across the United States, where eight states have passed laws or policies that ban or restrict cellphone use to try to curb student phone access and minimize distractions in classrooms.
An increasing number of parents across Europe who are concerned by evidence that smartphone use among young kids jeopardizes their safety and mental health.
