Volleyball, basketball, ping pong, dancing rehearsals or simple chats. Dozens of teens are rediscovering how to reconnect to the real world after a school in Santiago, Chile, implemented a pioneering program in the country that blocks cell phones signals.
Now, instead of compulsively scrolling through their Instagram feeds or sharing choreographed TikTok dances, students spend time at the library, the café or along the several courts of Lo Barnechea Bicentenario school, located in the wealthy district of Lo Barnechea in northern Santiago.
“Breaks are very lively now,” the school’s principal, Humberto Garrido, told The Associated Press.
In order to stimulate bonding among youngsters, the school also put in place a “comprehensive plan that also includes more games in the courtyard, board games in the library, soccer, tennis, basketball, and even championships,” he said.
The program — the first ever put in place in Chile and one of the first in South America — was implemented last month, a bid by the Lo Barnechea mayor’s office to address student well-being in times of hyperconnectivity and help them rediscover real-world connections.
For now, the initiative is being tested only at Lo Barnechea Bicentenario school and applies to eighth-grade students, ages 13 or 14. However, the measure will soon be extended to all grades and gradually implemented in other district schools over the next year.
According to Garrido, Lo Barnechea Bicentenario is the first school in Chile and one of the pioneers in South America to adopt this method, inspired by some successful examples of educational institutions in the United States and as efforts grow in the region to regulate the use of smartphones.
“We are one of the countries where our students spend the most time in front of screens from a young age,” he said.
Students see benefits
On a recent cold, sunny day at the end of winter in Chile, dozens of students patiently lined up before putting their smartphones inside a black case designed to jam signal detection through a blocking 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.
The first few days of the digital detox demanded some adaptation, but just a few weeks after its launch, the program has been well received by students, teachers and parents.
“I feel freer, I spend more time at recess, I spend more time with my classmates. I play a lot, I play a lot more sports. Before, I used to spend time on my phone, watching TikTok and Instagram,” said 14-year-old José David.
Another student, 13-year-old Francisca Susarte, said 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 these cases, I feel more comfortable because I still have it and take care of it,” she said.
Smartphone use raises concerns
The most recent international 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.
In the OECD's 2023 assessment, more than half of Chilean students reported being distracted when using digital devices, which exceeds the average.
The mayor of Lo Barnechea, Felipe Alessandri, highlighted that Chilean national exams have also revealed serious deficiencies among the country’s students in subjects such as language, math and critical thinking. The situation, he said, worsened with remote learning during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Today we have children who are experiencing all kinds of problems: depression, anxiety and obesity,” Alessandri told the AP. “When you take away their cell phones, there’s hysteria.”
A 2021 study by researchers at King’s College in the UK 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.
“These devices have been designed to create addiction,” said educator Carolina Pérez, author of the book “Kidnapped by the screens.”
“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.”
In addition to the impact on mental health, rampant cellphone use also affects learning, concentration and knowledge acquisition, added Alessandri.
Last month, the Chilean Senate's education committee endorsed a bill seeking to prohibit and regulate the use of digital devices in educational establishments across the country. Following its approval by the committee, the initiative must now be discussed and put to a vote by senators.
