Expected to come into effect in March of next year, the ban will affect public and private primary and secondary schools across the country.

Chilean Education Minister, Nicolas Cataldo, described the phone usage by children in schools as, “a scourge that… constitutes one of the main pandemics affecting our children and young people.”

The ban seeks to improve the performance, concentration, as well as emotional and physical health of young students, restricting use only for cases of emergency.

Chile, however, is not the only country to have restricted the use of smartphones in schools. Others such as Brazil, France, Finland, Italy, and South Korea have also enforced this law.

Darul Ihsan Media Desk