A call for schools without smartphones — and children without them

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A call for schools without smartphones — and children without them

Published: 04 Jul. 2025, 00:04

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Jung Soo-kyung

The author is a teacher at Okbit Elementary School in Yangju and chair of the Korean Elementary Teachers’ Union

As a teacher who deeply cares for children, I make this appeal: let us build smartphone-free schools, and let us be the kind of parents who choose not to buy smartphones for our children.

In the heart of Silicon Valley — a global hub of information technology — schools do not allow students to carry smartphones. Parents, too, tend to delay smartphone ownership until their children reach high school. Their reasoning is not ideological, but grounded in neuroscience.

A student uses her phone while leaving school in Seul on Nov. 4, 2024. [YONHAP]

Research shows that smartphone use repeatedly inhibits activity in the brain’s prefrontal cortex. This region is essential for comprehension and critical thinking. In contrast, reading books stimulates the prefrontal cortex, fostering intellectual development. Smartphone use does the opposite.

No parents in the world want more for their children's intellectual growth than Korean parents. They hope their children will grow into thoughtful, capable individuals. So why place a smartphone in their hands?

Often it’s out of convenience. Some parents worry about their child feeling left out among peers, while others find it easier to manage parenting when the child is absorbed by a screen. In effect, smartphones have become digital babysitters. But parents must recognize this trade-off: the cost of convenience may be a child’s diminished capacity for deep thought and understanding — a fact well-supported by science.

Smartphone usage among Korean elementary school students has reached alarming levels. Over 90 percent now own a smartphone, with ownership beginning at younger ages. First graders, in particular, struggle with self-regulation, making them especially vulnerable to overuse.

According to a 2023 report by the Korea Information Society Development Institute, 7.3 percent of first graders fall into the category of “high-risk smartphone dependency.” These students feel anxiety without a phone and show signs of digital addiction that interfere with daily life.

The National Youth Digital Therapy Center reports that fourth graders spend an average of 104 minutes per day on smartphones. The majority of this time is not spent on learning but on video streaming, games, online chatting and entertainment. The consequences are evident: reduced concentration, poor impulse control, sleep disruption and underdeveloped social skills.

Smartphones are also becoming tools for misconduct. In one sixth-grade classroom, students used phones hidden between textbooks to send direct messages filled with profanity about the teacher. In a case recently reported to the Elementary Teachers’ Union, a student digitally altered a teacher’s face using deepfake technology and shared the image.

Such cases reflect the misuse of smartphones to mock teachers and undermine classroom order. Worse, smartphones can be used for cyberbullying. Through social media, groups of students isolate and humiliate their peers. The speed and reach of such bullying far exceed what is possible through traditional means. In one case I encountered as a member of a school violence committee, cyberbullying occurred between students in Jeju Island and students in Yongin, connected only through social media.

To address these issues, both parents and schools must act. Parents should refrain from providing smartphones to children who are too young to manage them responsibly. Schools, in turn, need institutional tools to limit or regulate student smartphone use.

Parents and their kids take a look around the school in Incheon on Jan. 7 before the new semester starts in March. [YONHAP]

Some argue that collecting smartphones in school violates student rights. But in a recent ruling, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea determined that such practices do not constitute an excessive restriction of rights, but are a justifiable educational measure. This affirms the school’s authority to maintain a focused learning environment.

Korean society and its education system now face a clear choice between a child’s freedom and a child’s protection. The top priority must be the healthy development and learning rights of children. Schools must change first. They are spaces for learning. If smartphones obstruct learning, it is inevitable that teachers restrict their use.

But school-level guidelines are not enough. National-level legal regulation is needed. The Ministry of Education and the National Assembly must listen to educators and experts and craft policies that are effective and realistic. Ensuring students maintain a healthy distance from smartphones is, in the end, the best way to protect their rights.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.