In August, education authorities in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province called for adolescents and parents to properly use smartphones, even though most people can barely do without them. Their initiative states that students on campus should use phones as little as possible, and after class, parents should encourage children to do outdoor activities, reported the
China Education Daily.
Xiong Bingqi, deputy director of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, in a commentary for the Guangming Daily, said that schools, teachers, students and parents all have different opinions on the issue.
Teachers confiscate phones to maintain discipline in the classroom, and students then complain about teachers. Parents say their children need a phone for safety reasons. Xiong said it is unrealistic to require parents not to buy phones for children now, as they can also be used to do homework and research. However, some children use their phones more to play games on and waste time.
According to Xiong, schools should make a clear stipulation that students cannot use phones on campus, and should cooperate with parents to supervise and urge students to use their smartphones properly.
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