Banning Mobile Phones in Schools: Effects on Academic Performance, Mental Health and Non-Cognitive Skills

The evidence is mixed. Most EU countries limit phones in schools, and about one in seven countries worldwide has recently introduced restrictions. Beland and Murphy (2016) and Abrahamsson (2024, Norway, girls only) found gains, while Kessel et al. (2020) found no significant improvement in Sweden. A BERA study (Kemp et al., 2024) linked wider bans to lower PISA scores, though weakly. Rahali et al. (2024) urge caution and favour flexible policies that let teachers decide when phones are appropriate.

Existing studies face methodological limits. The article proposes a randomised staggered introduction of restrictions in Moldovan schools to generate robust evidence. Restrictions may also benefit mental health, self-control and attention, but more research in real school settings is needed. The conclusions: flexible policies, rigorous evaluation and attention to non-cognitive skills.