Denmark's education minister has announced that he wants to pass a law banning smartphones in schools, following recommendations from a committee on the welfare of young people presented today.
"We in the government have decided to support this idea and therefore we are starting to prepare a change in the law," Matthias Tesfaye was quoted as saying by AFP.
The details of this new legislation have not yet been decided, but "mobile phones and personal tablets have no place in schools, neither during breaks nor in lessons," the minister insisted.
In addition to mobile phone-free schools and colleges, the Wellbeing Commission advises delaying the use of smartphones until the age of 13.
"I think the screen is stealing the childhood of many of our children," Culture Minister Jacob Engel-Schmidt told a news conference.
Asked whether it was necessary to take away smartphones from children under the age of 13, the committee chairman answered in the affirmative.
"And obviously this is not something that should be done by law," Rasmus Meyer said.
"As soon as the phone enters the child's room, it takes up all the space. It can damage their self-esteem. When they have this gadget in their hands, it creates problems for their well-being," he stressed. | BGNES