What are Delhi HC’s ‘guiding principles’ on the use of smartphones?

What are these “guiding principles”? Why did the court provide them? And what have studies said about the use of smartphones in school?

What are these “guiding principles”?

• Justice Bhambani drew up nine suggestions to balance the beneficial and harmful effects of smartphones in classrooms:
• Smartphones should not be “barred” but their use in schools should be “regulated and monitored”;
  Where possible, students should be required to deposit their smartphones for safekeeping when they enter school and pick them up when they leave;
• Use of smartphones in class should be prohibited as it “must not disrupt classroom teaching, discipline, or the overall educational atmosphere”;
• Students must be educated about how to ethically use smartphones and counselled about the negative effects such as anxiety, diminished attention spans and cyber-bullying;
• Smartphones should be permitted for “safety and coordination” and not for “entertainment/recreational use”;
• Smartphone policies should be made after consultation with educators, experts and parents;
• Schools should be given discretion to implement unique policies to fit their situation;
• Policy should be transparent and provide fair, consistent and enforceable punishments for students — such as temporary confiscation — without being “excessively harsh”;
• Given the “fast-paced advancement of technology”, smartphone policies should be regularly reviewed and revised to tackle “emerging challenges”.

Why did the Delhi HC provide this guidance?

Initially, the case concerned a minor student who had been punished for misusing a smartphone on school premises. In the course of the proceedings, though, both the student and the school asked the Delhi HC to lay down guidelines for the use of “cellular phones” in schools.

The court noted that several government bodies have issued guidelines and restrictions, including the Directorate of Education (DoE), Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi in August 2023. However, it noted that this particular circular “only lays-down very broad instructions”.

The DoE circular strongly opposes mobile phones in schools. It states, “Mobile phones should strictly not be allowed in the classrooms.” It also asks teachers to refrain from using smartphones during “learning activities” and directs school authorities to set up lockers for students to deposit their phones when they arrive. However, these are the only instructions provided in the circular.

The court notes that the circular “proceed(s) on the fundamental premise that use of smartphones in school should be banned”. It then holds that such a ban would be “both an undesirable and unworkable approach”, taking note of the benefits of smartphones “including as devices that help with co-ordination between parents and the children, which adds to the safety and security of students attending school”.

Studies on the effect of smartphones in classrooms

International organisations like the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have also advocated for a balanced approach when integrating smartphones and classroom learning. In their 2023 Global Education Monitoring Report, the UNESCO relies on a study detailing the relationship between educational outcomes and student mobile phone use in 14 countries.

It states that the use of smartphones has a negative effect “mostly linked to increased distraction and time spent on non-academic activities during learning hours. Incoming notifications or the mere proximity of a mobile device can be a distraction, resulting in students losing their attention from the task at hand”. Specifically on the subject of phones in classrooms, the report states “The use of smartphones in classrooms leads to students engaging in non-school-related activities, which affects recall and comprehension”.

The report, however, also presents other research suggesting that the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has a positive relationship with reading, mathamatic and science scores “up to a threshold”. Beyond this threshold, the research found “diminishing academic gains”.

The report states, “The finding that excessive use of ICT does not provide extra returns beyond a level remained consistent across all socioeconomic categories of students”. This research is based on data provided by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which is dedicated to measuring 15-year-old students’ performance in reading, math, and science across the world.