Now, students in Rio de Janeiro play as they did earlier, and have become more concentrated in the classroom since the implementation of a complete ban on the use of mobile phones in schools across all of Brazil. In every school in this country, whose population is 200 million people, the use of phones is now banned during lessons and on educational grounds in accordance with the law passed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in January before the start of the school year.
Brazil, where the number of smartphones exceeds the number of residents, has joined a number of countries that have banned mobile phones in schools. According to UNESCO, by the end of 2024, 40% of general education systems in the world will have banned the use of smartphones in schools, compared to 30% a year earlier.
Children under three years spend on average almost one hour a day on smartphones, and this figure increases to almost four hours for children aged 13 to 16. A study conducted in September by the municipality of Rio de Janeiro showed improvements in concentration, academic performance, and engagement in the learning process after the ban on the use of phones in local schools.
A new law, effective throughout Brazil, allows the use of mobile phones in schools only for educational purposes, in cases of emergency or for medical reasons.
