Two Months Without Phones in Elementary School. What Has Changed? 0 7

Like all students in the first six grades, he can no longer use a mobile phone or other gadgets on school grounds. Although he sometimes wants to play, the boy is not particularly upset.

"We now play more cards and other games," he says.

In October of last year, the Saeima amended the education law, prohibiting students in grades 1-6 from using phones at school, except for educational purposes. The law does not specify a particular method for limiting phone use - each school develops its own rules.

The Ministry of Education reported that during this time, three main approaches have formed: children keep their phones in their backpacks or lockers, phones are stored in one place in the classroom, or they are handed over for storage in a designated area.

The magazine "Ir" surveyed representatives from the ten largest schools in Latvia about how the ban was implemented and how students' lives have changed. School administrations note that children have adapted to the rules.

"Everyone just accepted it as a fact. Sixth graders are waiting to become seventh graders and hope that the ban will not extend to the 12th grade," says Baiba Neimane, the principal of Riga Secondary School No. 45.

Children diligently adhere to the ban and ensure that others do as well. Overall, both parents and teachers support the restrictions. The school principal notes that at the beginning of the school year, the number of conflict situations increased because children "were trying to figure out how to communicate with each other during breaks." Students now also organize their free time themselves - they play board games, read books, and socialize, says Alexander Lange, the principal of Babite Secondary School.