The Chilean Parliament bans mobile phones in schools

The Chilean parliament has passed a bill banning the use of mobile phones in primary and secondary schools, joining the growing number of countries that regulate the use of smartphones in schools.

The House of Representatives approved by a large majority the project supported by the Prime Minister, Gabriel Boric, with the decision taking effect, starting next March, at the primary and secondary levels in all public and private schools, according to the text.

Education Minister Nicholas Cataldo said that the use of mobile phones in classrooms is an “uncontrollable scourge,” considering that it has “become one of the major epidemics affecting children.”