Sawt Falasteen - South Korea to ban mobile phones in school classrooms

One of the world's most wired nations, South Korea has recently sought to tighten rules on electronic devices in schools, citing concerns over smartphone addiction among students.

The bill, which will take effect in March next year, bans smart devices including mobile phones in classrooms and was passed Wednesday, a National Assembly spokeswoman told AFP.

The move makes South Korea the latest country to restrict social media use among schoolchildren, following similar steps in countries including Australia and the Netherlands.

Seoul's Education Ministry said in a statement that the law bans the use of smartphones in classrooms except when needed as assistive tools for students with disabilities or special education needs, or for educational purposes.

The measure also establishes a legal basis to "restrict the possession and use of such devices to protect students' right to learn and support teachers' activities", it added.

Lawmakers including opposition People Power Party member Cho Jung-hun, who introduced the bill, said the issue had long been "contentious amid concerns over human rights violations".

But the country's National Human Rights Commission recently changed its stance, saying limits on phone use for educational purposes do not breach rights given their negative impact on students' learning and emotional well-being.

Against this backdrop, the law was needed to ease social conflict "by clearly defining rules on smart device use in schools", the lawmakers said in a document introducing the bill.

But it has drawn backlash from groups including the left-wing Jinbo Party, which said the law will "infringe on students' digital rights and right to education".

The measure "prevents adolescents from learning to make responsible decisions on their own and deprives them of opportunities to adapt to the digital environment", the party said in a statement.

D.Khalil--SF-PST