Smartphones to be banned in schools even for learning use. New guidelines to be issued shortly, Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara says.
The crackdown concerns kindergarten, primary and lower secondary schools. It extends an existing ban on the non-academic use of smart devices introduced in Italy in 2007, but not always enforced. Last year the UN's educational, cultural and scientific agencyUNESCO recommended that smartphones be banned from schools around the world on grounds they distract students and have a negative impact on learning outcomes.