SEOUL: South Korea’s education authorities are set to expand the pilot programmes limiting smart device use even during breaks from the second semester, in a bid to reduce cyberbullying and other student issues related to electronic devices.
The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education plans to designate 300 schools as “phone-free schools” by the end of 2026, according to education officials on Thursday (Aug 13).
The participating schools will prohibit smartphone use unrelated to educational activities while expanding alternatives such as reading, arts and cultural programmes and sports.
The Gangwon State Office of Education has also selected 10 elementary, middle and high schools, as well as three kindergartens, to pilot what it calls “smartphone clean schools” in 2026. It plans to expand the programme to 150 institutions by 2029.
Beginning in 2027, the office also plans to distribute 10,000 “clean phones” to students with internet functions disabled.
The move comes after revised education law that took effect in March, which prohibits students from using smartphones during class. The education authorities are now pushing broader restrictions in an effort to curb excessive smartphone dependence, cyberbullying and disruptions to learning.
The Daegu Metropolitan Office of Education and the North Jeolla Provincial Office of Education are also set to launch similar pilot programmes in September.
Similar programmes on a national scale is set to commence, with the Education Ministry planning to launch its own pilot programme at 200 volunteer schools in September before expanding it to 400 schools in 2027.
Calls for tighter restrictions have grown amid concerns that excessive smartphone use contributes to distraction in class, infringements on teachers’ authority and school violence.
The revised Elementary and Secondary Education Act that took effect in March prohibits smartphone use during lessons, but does not specify how schools should collect or store devices or when students may use them outside class, prompting complaints that the rules could be difficult to implement consistently.
The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education held a forum on Aug 13 at its headquarters in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, bringing together students, teachers and parents to debate restrictions on smart-device use on school grounds.
“For normal educational activities to take place, students need to be physically separated from smart devices at least while they are at school,” said Lee Ho-wook, a teacher at Banghak Middle School.
But Choi On-woo, a student at Jamsin High School, warned against overly broad restrictions.
“If devices such as tablet computers and laptops that are used for learning are restricted altogether, students’ right to learn could be infringed,” Choi said. - The Korea Herald/ANN
