Kathmandu— China has moved to make phone-free classrooms a legal requirement for minors, with Chongqing municipality enforcing a ban on phones, tablets and other smart devices in schools from Sept. 1 under a new local law on minor crime prevention. The measure, which follows similar bans in Guangzhou, Zhengzhou and parts of Fujian, aims to curb internet addiction and protect students from harmful online content as the country seeks to build a safer digital environment for its close to 200 million underage internet users.

Legal Ban Takes Effect in Chongqing

The ban is stipulated in Chongqing’s local law on minor crime prevention, which took effect on Sept. 1. It prohibits school-age children from bringing phones, tablets and other smart devices into school. The provision cites a 2021 guidance document on the protection of minors’ rights and interests in school by the Ministry of Education.

Chongqing’s legislative body said exposure to bad information from smartphone use caused some school-age children to develop unhealthy ideas and values and even commit crimes. The law is intended to give schools legal support to enforce restrictions and prevent internet addiction among underage students.

Parents and Students React

Ye Hui, who lives in southwest China’s Chongqing municipality, said the law makes teachers more persuasive because the ban is no longer just a school policy. Her 10-year-old son spent nearly eight hours a day on screen over the summer and paid for virtual skins and props for online games, and she struggled to keep him from unlocking the tablet.

Xiao Junyi, a student from the 29th Middle School in Chongqing, welcomed the phone ban, admitting phones had proven detrimental to students’ level of concentration and undermined their learning. “We would secretly take out the phone and surf online when class was on,” Xiao said.

Enforcement and Exceptions

Teachers say a legal provision makes the ban more convincing to students and easier to enforce. “It will save a lot of unnecessary lecturing,” said Hu Ranrui’an, a deputy head teacher at the Science City Middle School Affiliated to Chongqing Normal University.

The law is not a one-size-fits-all ban. Jiang Yongsong, a supervisor from the 29th Middle School, said there is a provision that allows parents to file a written application if students need phones in school, noting some children, particularly middle school students without a parent to take them to and from school, need cell phones for emergency contact.

National and Global Context

Chongqing is the latest city to elevate a phone ban from school policy to legislation as the entire country works to build a safe and healthy internet environment for children’s wholesome growth. Similar legal bans have already been put in place in Guangzhou in Guangdong Province, Zhengzhou in Henan Province and places across Fujian Province.

Official statistics show China has close to 200 million underage internet users, with over 97 percent of minors having online access. Wang Peng, a deputy research fellow at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, said minors’ attention being eroded by the algorithm is a problem faced by countries across the world. Putting a mobile device school ban into law is necessary, as it provides legal support for schools to enforce the ban to keep students from such erosion, he said.

UNESCO’s latest Global Education Monitoring Report shows 114 education systems now have a national ban on mobile phones in schools, representing 58 percent of countries worldwide.

Beyond Restrictions

Experts cautioned that restriction alone is not enough to address the problem, calling for joint efforts from society, school and family. After physically isolating minors from the digital world, there will be room for efforts to foster their concentration and capabilities for in-depth and critical thinking, said Wang Peng.

Ye Hui has mapped out reclaimed hours from the screen — board games on Mondays, jogging on Wednesdays and weekend hikes to replace virtual battles. “It’s about proving the real world can win the battle for his attention,” she said.

The Chongqing law marks a step in China’s broader effort to curb minors’ internet addiction through legislation, with officials and educators emphasizing that legal backing, parental cooperation and complementary measures will be needed to sustain phone-free classrooms.

(With inputs from Xinhua)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.