Right from Brussels, Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara is relaunching a proposal to ban the use of cell phones in school in all EU countries at least until the age of 14. During a press point on the sidelines of the EU Council on Education, Valditara explained that the ban could be extended further, following the example of some member states. Austria, France, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia and Sweden have already signed up to the initiative, while Lithuania, Cyprus, Greece and Belgium have announced their intention to join. "The data are dramatic," the minister said, "and show a double negative impact: on the psycho-emotional development of young people and on the effectiveness of teaching. According to Valditara, early smartphone use impairs concentration, memory and even the development of imagination. Even the OECD, speaking at the G7 Education G7 in Trieste, highlighted how the presence of cell phones in the classroom reduces school performance, even in disciplines such as mathematics. In addition to the educational aspects, the minister drew attention to the risks associated with the unsupervised use of smartphones by young children, recalling the alerts issued by the Postal Police on dangerous phenomena such as child pornography, violent games and extreme challenges.
“We need digital education,” he concluded, “that helps children to consciously use technology and defend themselves from the dangers hidden in social networks”.