Mexico joins countries banning cell phones in schools

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Mexico said Monday it is banning cell phones in elementary and secondary schools, joining countries around the world in trying to help kids focus on learning, rather than be glued to social media.

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Under a rule taking effect in November, students will be barred from using mobile phones in class or during recess, except in cases of emergency or during planned school events.

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“The goal is to recover creativity and avoid indiscriminate use of phones, which in relation to socia

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l media can have very negative effects,” President Claudia Sheinbaum told her daily press conference.

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The restriction will not apply to kids in their last three years before college or to university students.

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The government ordered the change after consulting with educators and specialists on the harmful effects of social media addiction on small kids and adolescents.

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Eighty-one percent of teachers surveyed said restricting cell phone use in schools is necessary, according to the Education Ministry.

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Countries around the world, from France to New Zealand to Peru, have implemented some degree of restriction on cell phones in schools as the dangers of excessive use have become clear, including depression, body image problems, social isolation and risk of suicide.

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AFP

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