Experiment shows why dumb (basic) phones at school are a smart idea
John Perlman chats to Holy Rosary School's Natalie Meerholz about their 80-day 'Phone Like It’s 1999' challenge.
Young girl using a smartphone. Wikimedia Commons/Bicanski
Digital addiction is a huge talking point for parents and teachers alike, as both younger and older kids become attached to their smartphones.
A Joburg school embarked on a bold social experiment to wean pupils off this dependence, dubbing the initiative '80 Days: Phone Like It’s 1999'.
The 80-day challenge followed their 40-day phone-free challenge rolled out earlier in the year.
Instead of depriving the kids of phones completely for the 80 days, the latest initiative allowed pupils the use of so-called dumb phones, those older brick phones with limited functionality that are only for making/receiving calls and SMS text messages.
The initial 40-day test saw 44% of students successfully complete the full abstinence period, while the 80-day challenge achieved a completion rate of nearly 89%.
A total of 38 pupils from Grade 4-7, 18 pupils from Grade 8-12, and one staff member successfully completed the challenge.
John Perlman chats to Natalie Meerholz, primary school principal at Holy Rosary School, who was that staff member.
On the back of their first campaign, Meerholz says, the school knew they needed to do something more.
"Our aim was to create a cultural change within our school around how people relate to smartphones, and really pushng the delaying of smartphones in the primary school."
"Our results show that pupils are now much more aware of their phone usage and their distractions. For me personally, just the cognitive load was reduced extensively and I think my own personal communication boundaries were put back in place!"
Natalie Meerholz, Primary School Principal - Holy Rosary School
They want to now build further on their campaign following the success of the 80-day challenge, Meerholz says.
The question is who to partner with in the next step.
"There's a groundswell... We've now done this extensive research and we've proven that children can go without smartphones in the primary school, and that it's benefiting them.
"We can see that they are FEELING better without their smartphones, and a number of our children have gone without their phones for 128 days this year."
Natalie Meerholz, Primary School Principal - Holy Rosary School
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