(MENAFN- The Conversation) Mobile phones are currently banned in all Australian government schools and in many Catholic and private schools across the country, part of a global trend of restricting phone use in schools that has continued for more than a decade.

The Australian government believes that banning mobile phones will reduce distractions in the classroom, enable students to focus on learning, improve their wellbeing and reduce cyberbullying.

However, previous studies have shown that there is little evidence that the bans actually achieve these goals.

Many places that had banned cell phones in schools before Australia have since reversed their decisions. For example, several school districts in Canada implemented complete bans but then lifted them because they were too difficult to enforce. They now allow teachers to make decisions that suit their own classes.

A ban was also lifted in New York City, partly because bans made it difficult for parents to stay in touch with their children.

What do current research results say about the ban on mobile phones in schools?

Our study

We conducted a scoping review of all published and unpublished global evidence for and against banning mobile phones in schools.

Our research, which is yet to be published, aims to determine whether mobile phones in schools affect academic performance (including attention and distraction), students’ mental health and wellbeing, and the prevalence of cyberbullying.

A scoping review is conducted when researchers know that there are not many studies on a particular topic. This means that researchers cast a very broad net to gather as much evidence as possible.

Read more: Why a ban on cell phones in schools is more of a distraction than the problem it is supposed to solve

Our team reviewed 1,317 articles and reports, as well as dissertations from master’s and PhD students. We found 22 studies that examined schools before and after cell phone bans. There was a mix of study types. Some examined multiple schools and jurisdictions, some a small number of schools, some collected quantitative data, some sought qualitative views.

One sign of how little research there is on this topic: 12 of the studies we identified were conducted by master’s and doctoral students. That is, they were not peer-reviewed, but conducted by doctoral students under the supervision of an academic in the respective field.

A sign of how timely these findings are is the fact that almost half of the studies we identified were published or completed since 2020.

The studies examined schools in Bermuda, China, the Czech Republic, Ghana, Malawi, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States. None of the studies examined schools in Australia.

We looked at 22 studies that banned cell phones in schools around the world. RDNE Stock Project/ Pexels , CC BY

Academic achievements

Our research found four studies that found a slight improvement in academic performance when cell phones were banned in schools. However, two of these studies found that this improvement only applied to disadvantaged or low-achieving students.

Some studies have compared schools with partial bans to schools with complete bans. This is problematic because it complicates the situation.

However, three studies found no differences in academic performance whether or not cell phone bans were in place. Two of these studies used very large samples. This master’s thesis examined 30% of all schools in Norway. Another study used a nationwide cohort in Sweden. This means we can have some confidence in these results.

Mental health and wellbeing

Two studies in our review, including this dissertation, reported that cell phone bans had positive effects on students’ mental health. However, both studies used teachers’ and parents’ perceptions of students’ well-being (the students themselves were not asked).

Two other studies showed no differences in mental well-being following cell phone bans. However, three studies reported greater harm to students’ mental health and well-being when subjected to a cell phone ban.

Students reported feeling more uncomfortable when they were unable to use their phone. This was particularly evident in a PhD study conducted as students returned to school post-pandemic, after relying heavily on their devices during lockdown.

The evidence to support the need for a mobile phone ban for the mental health and wellbeing of students is therefore inconclusive and is based only on anecdotes or perceptions rather than on the documented prevalence of mental illness.

Some studies on the mental health impact of cell phone bans are based on the perceptions of parents and teachers – not on students’ own views. Priscilla Du Preez/Unsplash , CC BY

Bullying and cyberbullying

Four studies reported a slight decrease in bullying in schools after cell phone bans, especially among older students. However, the studies did not specify whether or not the bullying was cyberbullying.

In two other studies, including this doctoral thesis, teachers reported that they believed that the use of mobile phones in schools was leading to an increase in cyberbullying.

However, two other studies showed that the number of cases of online bullying and harassment was higher in schools with cell phone bans than in schools without cell phone bans. The study did not collect data on whether the online harassment occurred during or outside of school hours.

The authors suggest that this may be because students perceived the cell phone bans as punishment, making the school climate less egalitarian and less positive. Other research has linked a positive school climate to fewer bullying incidents.

There is no research on whether students use other devices to bully each other when cell phones are banned. But of course, it is possible that students use laptops, tablets, smart watches, or library computers for cyberbullying.

Even if cell phone bans were effective, they would not eliminate the majority of bullying cases in schools. A 2019 Australian study found that 99% of students who were victims of cyberbullying were also bullied in person.

Read more: Banning cell phones in schools: useful or risky? What the evidence says

What does this tell us?

Overall, our study suggests that the evidence for banning mobile phones in schools is weak and inconclusive.

As Australian education scholar Neil Selwyn argued in 2021, the push for cellphone bans says more about MPs responding to public concerns than about research findings.

Policymakers should leave this decision to individual schools, which have direct experience of the pros and cons of a ban in their respective communities. For example, a community in remote Queensland might have different needs and priorities to a school in central Brisbane.

Cell phones are an essential part of our lives. We need to teach children how to use phones appropriately, rather than simply banning them. This way, students will learn how to use their phones safely and responsibly at school, at home, and elsewhere.

Read more: Banning cell phones in schools seems obvious, but could make it harder for children to use technology in a healthy way

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