MANILA, Philippines — A commissioned Pulse Asia survey by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian showed that nearly eight out of 10 Filipinos support the banning of mobile phones in schools.
The survey conducted from June 17 to 24 revealed that 76 percent of 1,200 adult respondents nationwide support a cell phone ban in schools. Over 13 percent disagreed, and 11 percent were undecided.
Support for the ban spans all socioeconomic classes, with the highest backing from Class ABC at 80 percent, followed by 76 percent from Class D, and 71 percent from Class E, the survey said.
“It is clear that our countrymen support our proposal to ban the use of cellphones in schools, especially since using them during class can harm their learning,” Gatchalian said in a news release Tuesday.
In the National Capital Region, 80 percent of respondents support the proposal, along with 79 percent in Balance Luzon, 61 percent in the Visayas, and 81 percent in Mindanao.
In 2023, psychologist Dr. Camille Garcia identified in a report that excessive gadget use and low education quality as key factors behind the Philippines’ poor performance in the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results.
Garcia said that prolonged exposure to gadgets and social media can impede children’s learning. The PISA results indicated that Filipino students spend 10 hours daily on gadgets for both studying and leisure.
The results also showed that 15-year-old Filipino students struggle in math, reading, and science compared to their peers in other countries. Despite participating in PISA since 2018, the Philippines has seen minimal improvement, ranking 76 out of 81 countries.
In June, Gatchalian filed Senate Bill 2706, the Electronic Gadget-Free Schools Act, which proposes that the Department of Education set guidelines to ban the use of electronic gadgets during class hours.
The proposed measure prohibits all basic education students from using phones and other electronic gadgets on school grounds during class hours.
In SB 2706, school premises include classrooms, laboratories, bathrooms, gymnasiums, canteens, club rooms, swimming pools, teachers’ lounges, and school offices.
Teachers and faculty members are also prohibited from using their gadgets during their teaching hours in classrooms.
