Vox Populi

Evelin Poolamets

Member of parliament (Estonian Conservative People’s Party)

Smartphone addiction is becoming an increasingly big problem. It's sad to see students not communicate with each other during recess, while the free moments of the school day are reserved only for TikTok. However, it is currently more reasonable to establish the use of smart devices in basic schools with the internal rules of the school. Nevertheless, the state should take the initiative to address the issues of smartphone addiction for both teachers, parents and children, because parents in particular should be helped in finding solutions. Smartphone addiction often starts at home, where handing the child a phone is one way of childcare. If schools see that the problem is nevertheless still growing, then there is reason to turn to the Ministry of Education and Research for help.

Riina Sikkut

Minister of health (Social Democratic Party)

Smart devices have been a part of our daily lives for years. To date, researchers have determined that children's excessive use of smart devices affects their mental health, reduces movement and, indirectly, concentration on learning and academic performance. Estonian researchers have also publicly expressed the need to regulate the use of smart devices outside of teaching at school.
Therefore, I have proposed that, for the sake of children's health, schools must find a way to focus on what is being taught in class and to communicate and move during recess without the distraction of a glowing screen.
With the regulation, the state would provide schools with a guideline to deal with the excessive use of smart devices as a new health risk and to limit the use of smart devices outside of school, especially for younger school children. Already, several schools have established rules in the internal rules and only allow the use of a personal smart device for educational purposes or in exceptional circumstances. Schools do not have to wait until next fall and can discuss the rules that are suitable for them earlier. Tallinn, in cooperation with researchers, is starting to test different solutions in its schools in order to also reach a point where children can intelligently regulate their use of smart devices themselves.
In other words, we are not talking about strict bans or confiscation of devices, it is still a matter of schools' autonomy, which rules for the use of smart devices are agreed upon. But change is needed so that children move more and their mental health is taken care of.

Mark Jefimov

Deputy chairman of the youth caucus of the Estonian Center Party

Smart devices have become a part of our lives. If they are taken away without a compelling reason, it sends a message to children that adults can ban something at will just like that. Children feel that powerful adults are once again taking control over them, limiting their freedom. History has shown that restrictions never bring positive results.
Second, school is meant to teach children about the world, and a smart device is one of the modern tools for that. It is an integral part of young people's lives, regardless of how we feel about it. So where else to learn how to use a smartphone correctly, if not at school? Moreover, imposing strict prohibitions inevitably leads to the "forbidden fruit" effect, increasing the desire to break the rules.
Third, "disciplining" children by means of prohibitions is a questionable plan. Discipline requires coercion, but school is not a prison or an army. It is the place where children learn and develop, spending a significant part of their time there. True discipline is the result of dedicated and quality teaching, not external restriction.
Of course I support the approach that students spend as much time as possible in the fresh air or playing ball in the gym during recess, but I doubt that a smart device ban will get us any closer to the desired goal. Children are smart and their imagination knows no bounds. I can imagine how the toilets will be filled with young people on a smart device diet if a ban is implemented.

Karl Sander Kase

Tallinn deputy mayor (Isamaa)

A nationwide ban on smart devices in schools is not reasonable.
It is worth bearing in mind that schools have behaved very differently. There are schools that have been able to agree on the rules for the use of smart devices within the school family. If these rules are established in cooperation between the school administration, teachers, parents and children, it is also most likely that these agreements will be followed. In the case of a nationwide ban, it remains unclear whether and how the established rules are monitored and how they are enforced.
I would like to emphasize that the issue is not only in schools. The formation of children's behavior patterns and habits is not only the task of educational institutions (state and local governments). If sufficient attention is not paid to the use and limitation of the use of smart devices in the home environment, no school or state restrictions will help. As parents, we must also be interested in ensuring that children's screen time does not exceed the limits of common sense. We cannot solve this issue in schools with simple commands and prohibitions. Therefore, it is reasonable to invest in raising the awareness of parents and children and to involve them in the rule-making process. Then there is also hope that the established rules will be followed and they can actually be enforced.

Kati Käpp

Member of The Right, teacher

his is a matter that the schools themselves should deal with, not something that the state should decide on. Each teacher organizes work in their class as they see fit. This means that in some lessons it may be necessary for students to use their phones, for example if they are only needed for 10 minutes and it would be too time-consuming to get the computers out of the computer locker.
What happens during recess must be agreed and organized by the school: whether the students can go outside to play ball or whether some suitable activities are organized inside the school building. A simple ban may show good results at first glance, but it is more useful to explain, according to the age of the child, what smart devices do to the human brain.
The ministry could do a lot for schools for this explanatory work by collecting research and information on the impact of smart devices and the good practices of the rest of the world in using smart devices in schools and regulating their use. This information can then be taken into account and applied by each school at its own discretion. In other words, the school itself is still the decision-maker, who, in order to best do the work for which it exists – developing students' knowledge, skills and attitudes – would agree on the rules that are necessary to fulfill this goal.

Aleksei Jašin

Deputy head of Estonia 200 and Tallinn deputy mayor for education

I welcome the discussion of smart devices in society, but as a liberal, I do not consider government intervention for limiting the use of smart devices in basic schools to be reasonable.
These days, smart devices are a part of education, and teachers, as top specialists in their field, know best how to use a smart device wisely and effectively. We have vigorously trained teachers on digital topics, and this has brought success to Estonia even during the coronavirus pandemic, when Estonia’s PISA results, unlike other European Union countries, remained at the top. Therefore, in the opinion of Estonia 200, it is neither purposeful nor justified to prohibit or limit the use of telephones in education by hour or minute at the national level.
Every school already has the freedom to decide how to use or restrict smart devices. The state can support schools' decisions, but should not dictate them. Maintaining the autonomy of schools that brought us PISA success is paramount here. In the Netherlands, for example, schools have agreed on their own restrictions on the use of smart devices without being regulated by the state. Estonia could assume a similar direction and trust schools in making their own decisions.
However, we are aware of the problem of excessive use of social media to the detriment of young people's mental health and ability to concentrate, as indicated by research. Solutions must be sought at the school level by creating opportunities that, in addition to digital skills, also develop social competences and encourage physical activity, for example by directing young people to move outside during breaks.

Margit Sutrop

Member of parliament (Reform Party)

The concern that children spend too much time on their smartphones is certainly justified. I also agree that too much screen time is bad for children's health and causes many other problems. Should the solution be that the state bans the use of smart devices in the school environment? The Ministry of Education and Research could respond to this commendable initiative by calling on all schools to agree on the rules for the use of smartphones and to share good practices with each other.
Talking to young people, I see that banning would only create defiance and a desire to outwit those who implemented the ban. In our educational strategies, we have aimed to increase students' autonomy and support their development into self-directed learners. We have also emphasized the partnership between student and teacher, between home and school. Therefore, I believe that the solution must be found in cooperation. Even in the case of small children, it is possible to negotiate, justify why smartphones should be turned off at school, and discuss together what rules should be agreed upon for their use. A similar agreement should be reached with parents. Commonly formulated rules are certainly much more effective.
The key question is how to encourage an active lifestyle. Each school could review its classroom and what activities are offered to students during recess. Attention should also be paid to the value education of students, the development of self-expression skills and social-emotional skills. Students hide in smartphones not only out of boredom, but also out of fear of direct communication.