German school's smartphone-free class experiment shows surprising first-year results
Summary
A pilot project at Mannlich Realschule plus Zweibrücken in Germany introduced a "smartphone-free class" for 5th graders, where students not only avoid phones at school but parents also committed to not providing smartphones at home. After the first school year (2025/26), initial test results from the accompanying research by the University of Trier show partially surprising outcomes. The experiment explores the effects of a complete smartphone ban on students' development, social behavior, and academic performance.
Source
bskyGerman school's smartphone-free class experiment shows surprising first-year resultsuni-trier.deKey quotes
· 3 pulledAn der Mannlich-Realschule plus Zweibrücken verzichten alle Schüler:innen einer 5. Klasse seit Beginn des Schuljahrs 2025/26 auf das Smartphone.
Das Besondere an der „smartphonefreien Klasse“ ist, dass sich die Eltern verpflichtet haben, ihren Kindern nicht nur in der Schule, sondern auch zuhause kein eigenes Smartphone zur Verfügung zu stellen.
Ein interdisziplinäres Forschungsteam der Universität Trier begleitet diesen Modellversuch.
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