«I feel freer»: School Blocks Cell Phones – and the Kids Love It
A school in Santiago, Chile, has gone quiet recently. At least on smartphones, as the school is blocking the cell phone signal for 13- and 14-year-olds. Instead of TikTok, Instagram, or WhatsApp, the students are now playing volleyball, basketball, ping-pong, or simply talking to one another.
And it turns out the teenagers are benefiting from a life without the internet. «I feel freer, I spend more time with my classmates», a 14-year-old told a reporter from the AP news agency. «I play a lot, I do a lot more sports. Before, I spent my time on my phone looking at TikTok and Instagram.»
Breaks are now very lively, the school principal reports. In the first few days, the transition was noticeable. To encourage activities among the 13- and 14-year-olds, they organized board games and even championships. Now, students, teachers, and parents are convinced by the program.
The children do not have to hand in their phones; they can keep them in a special pouch that blocks all signals. According to the children, this is easier than having their devices locked away.
Following the program’s success, it is now being expanded. Poor grades on international tests and a report that many children are distracted by smartphones also contributed to the decision. «These devices were developed to make people addicted», says educator and expert Carolina Pérez in the AP report. She wrote the book «Secuestrados por las pantallas» (Kidnapped by the Screens) on the topic. «All scientific findings indicate that a smartphone can only be used healthily if it's used by children over 16.»
Cell Phone Bans in Australia, North America, and Europe
Chile is not an isolated case. In Australia, several states have already introduced smartphone bans in schools. In Victoria and New South Wales, phones must be handed in each morning. In Canada, provinces such as Ontario are experimenting with similar rules.
In the United States, some schools use lockable pouches that make phones inaccessible during class. These «Yondr pouches» are well accepted by students, who see the benefits. Schools report better behavior, more conversations, and alternative activities. Parents even say phone use at home has decreased.
In Europe, the movement is also growing: France has banned phones in primary and middle schools since 2018, and as of September 2025 this was extended to all children aged 11 to 15. If students bring devices to school, they must store them in a locker or pouch.
The Netherlands and Greece introduced school phone bans in 2024, and Italy extended them to all school levels in September 2025.
Exceptions apply for children who need smartphones for medical reasons, and in some lessons when phones are used as learning tools or for media education.
Overall, more and more schools are becoming phone‑free zones, and the results are similar everywhere: breaks are described as more sociable, and students talk to each other again.
Science Recommends Limited Smartphone Use
The experiences from Chile and other countries reflect what research has shown for years: less smartphone use in school means more concentration, better performance, and less stress. An OECD analysis of PISA data shows that excessive phone use in class correlates with poorer results in math and reading.
UNESCO also warned in a 2023 report that excessive smartphone use impairs learning and urged countries to set clear rules.
The findings on mental health are particularly striking. Studies show that adolescents who spend more time on phones and social media are more likely to suffer from anxiety, sleep problems, and depression. Recent meta‑analyses confirm the link between screen time and reduced life satisfaction.
Further studies are ongoing, as researchers still debate causality versus correlation. The question is whether other factors also contribute to the problems – for example, family or social circumstances leading to both higher phone use and poorer mental health.
Jon Haidt Recommends Smartphones at 14, Social Media at 16
US psychologist Jonathan Haidt popularized this debate with his book The Anxious Generation. He describes the “Great Rewiring of Childhood”, a childhood reshaped by smartphones and social media, with massive consequences for mental health.
In his new book The Amazing Generation, however, he also highlights the opportunities: with clear rules and a later start, smartphones can be useful for creativity, learning, and social organization. His recommendation: smartphones no earlier than age 14, social media from 16.
In Australia, social media is already banned for under‑16s, and similar laws are currently being discussed in several European countries. The US and UK also have draft bills. In many places, the exact age for restrictions is still debated – whether 13, 15, or 16 as in Australia.
Phone‑free zones at home
Even without a state ban, parents can help their children develop healthy habits. Phone‑free zones such as bedrooms and the dinner table, clear usage times, a minimum age for phone ownership, and a later start with social media are simple but effective steps. Just as important is role modeling: parents who scroll constantly make it harder to set credible boundaries.
Research and school experiences show clearly that children benefit when they are supported in breaking free from smartphone and social media addiction. They become creative again, talk, and play together.
It is a return to a phone‑free life that parents themselves once knew and actually wish for their children too. Not in a nostalgically romanticized sense, but as a scientifically grounded recommendation with concrete, positive effects on academic success and mental health.
Sources
Pediatric Research: Smartphone use, wellbeing, and their association in children
CDC: Associations Between Screen Time Use and Health Outcomes Among US Teenagers
WHO: Teens, screens and mental health
UN: UNESCO education report advises appropriate use of technology in schools
OECD: Students, digital devices and success
Clinical Psychological Science: Increases in Depressive Symptoms, Suicide-Related Outcomes, and Suicide Rates Among U.S. Adolescents After 2010 and Links to Increased New Media Screen Time
Jonathan Haidt: The Anxious Generation
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