4 ms·

Is this an American thing? Here in Germany my son is not allowed to have a phone at school. He doesn't have one anyway, but kids that do have to give up their p

by ido 3y ago

Is this an American thing? Here in Germany my son is not allowed to have a phone at school. He doesn't have one anyway, but kids that do have to give up their phones in the morning, which are in a locked box and they get them back in the afternoon when they go home. Nobody ever asked us about it, it's simply school policy.

throwaway50603 3y ago
It's a worldwide thing. I'm in a country neighboring Germany and it's perfectly normal that everybody has a smartphone. The schools have policies that it has to be turned off but they can't touch the phone at all.
raarts 3y ago
Right now this is also subject of debate in The Netherlands.
- than3 3y ago
  There really isn't much to debate. Kids are developmentally unable to cope with addiction. Even adults have a hard time, with training, support, and wasted life experience with regard to online gaming. They may move past that addiction, but never really get over it. Current times are just the flashpoint where parents and schools have largely abandoned their core responsibilities.
  - raarts 3y ago
    Completely agree.
  - throwaway50603 3y ago
    There is a lot to debate. I don't agree with this "addiction" argument at all. My siblings (much younger, school age) don't have social media by their own volition. Apparently they're immune to this addiction - or perhaps it's not really addiction, but something different. Taking away their phones because others can't handle themselves is wrong. So yeah, a lot to debate.
    - wetmore 3y ago
      > Taking away their phones because others can't handle themselves is wrong. Why, if it's during the school day? What's the advantage of having a phone during class?
      - throwaway50603 3y ago
        There doesn't need to be any advantage. They're not causing any disruptions - nobody should be telling them where to put their property. A phone contains private photos and conversations, has authorized access to email, chat and (in other cases) social media accounts, it's a second authentication factor, it has payment cards, saved passwords, browser history, potentially health data (for example, period or medication notification app) and other data that they might not want anybody else to access, or could even cause them problems if the wrong person saw some of it (which doesn't mean it'd be something illegal or inappropriate - but some teachers have really weird ideas about how the life of a student should look). It's perfectly understandable they want to have it under their own sight and control. Touching it without permission is unacceptable. I have seen kids steal stuff from the teacher's desk/other school property when I still went to school - one kid even stole a RAM stick from a school computer right during class. I would never trust the school's ability to keep my phone secure. Also - the school day is not 100% class time, there are breaks in between. What they do during breaks is their own business.
        harshalizee 3y ago
        Ok, then just don't bring it in? I don't why America constantly acts like we have unique problems no one does. Most schools in EU just bans cellphone usage during school hours either by taking it away or barred from bringing it in and it's just effective. Humanity dealt with periods/medications/emergencies long before smartphones and can still do.
        throwaway50603 3y ago
        I'm right in the middle of Europe. Why not bring it in? I don't understand why they should behave as if they lived in 19th century. They're people living in 21st century, making full use of new technology - nothing wrong about that. It's bullshit to demand they have to go home to get their phone before they go on with their day after school - not to mention they use the phones before school too. My siblings buy breakfast and lunch with the virtual payment cards (from our parent's Revolut) they have in the phone. Even their public transit tickets are apps - it's a QR code, and because the transit company wants to reduce staff, you pay 20% less if you buy tickets in the app. Will the school reimburse the additional 20% they caused them to pay? I guess not, right. And remember Covid? Here in Europe the vaccination/test pass is an app too, and they needed it to get into the school building, the cafeteria, the public transit etc. Soon the ID and driver's licence will be apps as well. The school itself is sending them homework and grades into an app, btw. It has web access, sure - but they access web on their phones. It's bullshit to make them unable to check their grades or homework assignments during schooltime. Sure, they could go back to 19th century life with paper calendars, letters, money and transit tickets. But their quality of life would go significantly down. Schools have no right to demand that. Nobody has. And as I said, school day is not 100% class time. What they do during breaks is their own business. > Most schools in EU just bans cellphone usage during school hours either by taking it away or barred from bringing it in and it's just effective. No, they don't. In my state it's very wrong to touch the phone - could be a fine and suspension (for the teacher/school employee) or even a crime, depending on what they did. The school can demand it's turned off during class time (doesn't apply to breaks) but they have no way to verify or enforce. They can write a teacher's note in case of a disruption or take the student out of the class in serious cases, but they can't touch the phone. Currently, the trend here is to integrate smartphones into the lessons. Make students use Google search, YouTube, Wikipedia, ChatGPT and other tools.
kbelder 3y ago
My kid's (American) schools have this policy before high-school. In High School, they can have a phone, but it can't be out during class. Just depends on the school district.
msravi 3y ago
Same here in India. Phones are not allowed in class, period. Kids/parents are strongly urged not to send phones, and if it's absolutely required, it's collected in the morning and returned after school.
MagicMoonlight 3y ago
I’m sure that’s what happens in theory but there’s absolutely no way any of them are actually handing their phones in
- Freedom2 3y ago
  Believe it or not, some countries and cultures are able to enforce such policies. Dismissing it as 'absolutely no way' without any shred of evidence is absurd.
- ido 3y ago
  I literally saw the teacher returning the phones to kids in the afternoon when I went to pick up my son. I also spent a day with him there when he was doing a "trial week" a few months before the end of kindergarten and I saw no kids using phones that whole day (and I saw a lot of kids throughout that day).
- boeingUH60 3y ago
  There is a way, and it happens in many countries including mine. It’s not nice to assume everyone acts like the cohort you’re familiar with.
deafpolygon 3y ago
Here in the NL, it is not enforced or a policy in most public schools.
mmierz 3y ago
I am American and my children's school has exactly this rule (phones confiscated during the day). My kids report that most of their peers simply ignore the rule and keep their phone with them, and that this is so common the school has given up on enforcement.

by ido 3y ago

throwaway50603 3y ago

It's a worldwide thing. I'm in a country neighboring Germany and it's perfectly normal that everybody has a smartphone. The schools have policies that it has to be turned off but they can't touch the phone at all.

raarts 3y ago

Right now this is also subject of debate in The Netherlands.

than3 3y ago
There really isn't much to debate. Kids are developmentally unable to cope with addiction. Even adults have a hard time, with training, support, and wasted life experience with regard to online gaming. They may move past that addiction, but never really get over it. Current times are just the flashpoint where parents and schools have largely abandoned their core responsibilities.
- raarts 3y ago
  Completely agree.
- throwaway50603 3y ago
  There is a lot to debate. I don't agree with this "addiction" argument at all. My siblings (much younger, school age) don't have social media by their own volition. Apparently they're immune to this addiction - or perhaps it's not really addiction, but something different. Taking away their phones because others can't handle themselves is wrong. So yeah, a lot to debate.
  - wetmore 3y ago
    > Taking away their phones because others can't handle themselves is wrong. Why, if it's during the school day? What's the advantage of having a phone during class?
    - throwaway50603 3y ago
      There doesn't need to be any advantage. They're not causing any disruptions - nobody should be telling them where to put their property. A phone contains private photos and conversations, has authorized access to email, chat and (in other cases) social media accounts, it's a second authentication factor, it has payment cards, saved passwords, browser history, potentially health data (for example, period or medication notification app) and other data that they might not want anybody else to access, or could even cause them problems if the wrong person saw some of it (which doesn't mean it'd be something illegal or inappropriate - but some teachers have really weird ideas about how the life of a student should look). It's perfectly understandable they want to have it under their own sight and control. Touching it without permission is unacceptable. I have seen kids steal stuff from the teacher's desk/other school property when I still went to school - one kid even stole a RAM stick from a school computer right during class. I would never trust the school's ability to keep my phone secure. Also - the school day is not 100% class time, there are breaks in between. What they do during breaks is their own business.
      - harshalizee 3y ago
        Ok, then just don't bring it in? I don't why America constantly acts like we have unique problems no one does. Most schools in EU just bans cellphone usage during school hours either by taking it away or barred from bringing it in and it's just effective. Humanity dealt with periods/medications/emergencies long before smartphones and can still do.
        throwaway50603 3y ago
        I'm right in the middle of Europe. Why not bring it in? I don't understand why they should behave as if they lived in 19th century. They're people living in 21st century, making full use of new technology - nothing wrong about that. It's bullshit to demand they have to go home to get their phone before they go on with their day after school - not to mention they use the phones before school too. My siblings buy breakfast and lunch with the virtual payment cards (from our parent's Revolut) they have in the phone. Even their public transit tickets are apps - it's a QR code, and because the transit company wants to reduce staff, you pay 20% less if you buy tickets in the app. Will the school reimburse the additional 20% they caused them to pay? I guess not, right. And remember Covid? Here in Europe the vaccination/test pass is an app too, and they needed it to get into the school building, the cafeteria, the public transit etc. Soon the ID and driver's licence will be apps as well. The school itself is sending them homework and grades into an app, btw. It has web access, sure - but they access web on their phones. It's bullshit to make them unable to check their grades or homework assignments during schooltime. Sure, they could go back to 19th century life with paper calendars, letters, money and transit tickets. But their quality of life would go significantly down. Schools have no right to demand that. Nobody has. And as I said, school day is not 100% class time. What they do during breaks is their own business. > Most schools in EU just bans cellphone usage during school hours either by taking it away or barred from bringing it in and it's just effective. No, they don't. In my state it's very wrong to touch the phone - could be a fine and suspension (for the teacher/school employee) or even a crime, depending on what they did. The school can demand it's turned off during class time (doesn't apply to breaks) but they have no way to verify or enforce. They can write a teacher's note in case of a disruption or take the student out of the class in serious cases, but they can't touch the phone. Currently, the trend here is to integrate smartphones into the lessons. Make students use Google search, YouTube, Wikipedia, ChatGPT and other tools.

kbelder 3y ago

My kid's (American) schools have this policy before high-school. In High School, they can have a phone, but it can't be out during class. Just depends on the school district.

msravi 3y ago

Same here in India. Phones are not allowed in class, period. Kids/parents are strongly urged not to send phones, and if it's absolutely required, it's collected in the morning and returned after school.

MagicMoonlight 3y ago

I’m sure that’s what happens in theory but there’s absolutely no way any of them are actually handing their phones in

Freedom2 3y ago
Believe it or not, some countries and cultures are able to enforce such policies. Dismissing it as 'absolutely no way' without any shred of evidence is absurd.
ido 3y ago
I literally saw the teacher returning the phones to kids in the afternoon when I went to pick up my son. I also spent a day with him there when he was doing a "trial week" a few months before the end of kindergarten and I saw no kids using phones that whole day (and I saw a lot of kids throughout that day).
boeingUH60 3y ago
There is a way, and it happens in many countries including mine. It’s not nice to assume everyone acts like the cohort you’re familiar with.

deafpolygon 3y ago

Here in the NL, it is not enforced or a policy in most public schools.

mmierz 3y ago

I am American and my children's school has exactly this rule (phones confiscated during the day). My kids report that most of their peers simply ignore the rule and keep their phone with them, and that this is so common the school has given up on enforcement.