76% of Pinoys want ban on cellphone use in schools

SEVENTY-SIX percent of Filipinos are in favor of banning the use of cellphones in schools, a Pulse Asia survey commissioned by Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said.

The survey, conducted from June 17 to 24, showed that 80 percent of those who agreed were from the National Capital Region, 79 percent from Balance Luzon, 61 percent from the Visayas, and 81 percent from Mindanao.

Eighty percent of those who are in favor belong to social classes ABC, 76 percent from D, and 71 percent from E.

Thirteen percent of the respondents disagree with the cellphone ban in schools, 12 percent of them coming from NCR, 9 percent from Balance Luzon, 26 from the Visayas region, and 11 percent from Mindanao.

Eleven percent of the respondents “cannot say if (they) agree or disagree” with the total ban of cellphones in schools.

Gatchalian said the survey shows that “a vast majority” of Filipinos see the benefits of imposing a ban on cellphone use, adding it is a source of distraction linked to poorer learner performance.

He cited an analysis of the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) by the Senate Committee on Basic Education that showed that eight out of 10 Filipino learners aged 15 “reported being distracted in class by using their smartphones.”

He said that another eight of 10 learners reported they were distracted by other students’ use of smartphones.

The survey had a 3 percent margin of error.

Gatchalian had earlier filed Senate Bill No. 2706, the Electronic Gadget-Free Schools Act, which seeks to prohibit the use of mobile devices and electronic gadgets from kindergarten to senior high school within school premises.

“It is clear that our countrymen support the proposed measure I filed to ban the use of cellphones in schools, especially when they are used during class hours which cause distractions,” Gatchalian said.

Gatchalian said that while mobile devices and electronic gadgets are fast becoming a compelling learning tool, their use during class hours causes distractions “that could adversely impact learning. Especially among learners at the basic education level.

“Aside from (a) decrease in learners’ academic performance, access to such devices seems likely to