Almost 8 out of 10 Filipinos support a ban on cell phones in schools, a Pulse Asia survey, commissioned by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, said.
Gatchalian said that the results of the survey show that Filipinos see the benefits of imposing a ban on cellphone use in schools, especially because distraction from mobile phones in schools is linked to poorer learner performance.
According to an analysis of the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) by the Senate Committee on Basic Education, eight out of 10 Filipino learners aged 15 reported being distracted in class by using their smartphones, while another eight out of ten reported being distracted by other students’ smartphone use.
Based on the results of the survey conducted from June 17 to June 24, 2024, Gatchalian said 76% of 1,200 adult respondents nationwide agree with having a cell phone ban inside schools. He said 13% said they disagree, while 11% said they cannot say whether they agree or disagree.
“An overwhelming majority of Filipinos across all socioeconomic classes also support a cellphone ban in schools, with the strongest support from Class ABC (80%),” Gatchalian, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, said.
The survey said 76% of respondents from “class D” support a cellphone ban in schools, while 71% from “class E” support the proposal.
Across different locations in the country, a vast majority support banning cellphones in schools, with around eight out of 10 respondents in the National Capital Region (80%), Balance Luzon (79%), and Mindanao (81%) agreeing to the proposal. Six out of 10 (61%) of respondents from Visayas, on the other hand, agree with banning cell phones in schools.
In June, Gatchalian filed the Electronic Gadget-Free Schools Act (Senate Bill No. 2706), which seeks to prohibit learners’ use of mobile devices and electronic gadgets from Kindergarten to senior high school within school premises during school hours.
Due to this, he said they are continuously pushing for a ban of the use of cell phones in schools he added.
The sampling design used in the survey allows for a 95% level of confidence with a margin of error of plus/minus 3% at the total Philippines level and plus/minus 6% at the geographic area level.
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