This country is trying to ban social media at school. Here's how that's going

A school in Chile has implemented a smartphone ban for eighth graders, promoting increased social interaction and physical activity

Data signal jammed, phones that are no longer ‘smart’, and no more Instagram, TikTok or anything like it — the rule is strict but the children say they are feeling freer after a school in the South American nation of Chile implemented this on campus for some students.

It's part of an experiment which could be extended to the whole country.(Representative image)

It's part of an experiment which could be extended to the whole country.

“Breaks are very lively now,” said Humberto Garrido, principal of Lo Barnechea Bicentenario school, located in a wealthy district of capital Santiago, told news agency AP.

Not that children are wondering what to do now, or just sitting around, missing social media. The school put in place a plan for more games in the courtyard, board games in the library, soccer, tennis, basketball, and even championships, the principal said.

The first few days were tough. But so far the ban applies only to eighth-grade students, aged 13-14. It's inspired by some successful examples of educational institutions in the US, the principal told AP.

“We are one of the countries where our students spend the most time in front of screens from a young age,” he said.

How the ban works: Tech at heart of it

When reporters from AP visited the school recently, they wrote about dozens of students lined up patiently before putting their smartphones inside a black case designed to jam signal detection through a magnet that only can be deactivated by the school’s inspectors.

They are still able to keep their devices, but are only allowed to text, call or scroll again after school is over.

Francisca Susarte, 13, said she felt at first that storing her phone in a locker or handing it over to a teacher — as is common in school smartphone bans elsewhere — would have made her anxious. “With (blocking) cases, I feel more comfortable because I still have it and take care of it,” she said.

“I feel freer, I spend more time at recess, I spend more time with my classmates. I play a lot more sports,” 14-year-old José David told a reporter, “Before, I used to spend time on my phone, watching TikTok and Instagram.”

What experts say

A recent study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development that evaluates student skills in reading, math and science showed that Chile led educational indicators in Latin America but still falls short of the international average.

More than half of Chilean students reported being distracted when using digital devices, which was above average, said the 2023 report.

A 2021 study by researchers at King’s College in the U.K. found that young people who considered themselves addicted to their cell phones were twice as likely to report symptoms of anxiety and three times as likely to suffer from depression than those who weren’t, an AP report noted.

Carolina Pérez, author of the book 'Kidnapped by the screens', says, "All scientific evidence indicates that for a smartphone to be used in a healthy way, it must be used by children over the age of 16.”

The Chilean Senate is discussing a proposed law to prohibit and regulate the use of digital devices in educational establishments across the country.