This week, in sunny Lisbon, I spoke about a topic dominating education headlines in Portugal and beyond: the rise of school smartphone bans. While these measures are often framed as protecting students’ attention and wellbeing, the evidence tells a more complicated story.
Research shows that banning phones outright doesn’t automatically improve learning outcomes, mental health, or behaviour. In fact, total bans can add stress for teachers already stretched thin — and students quickly adapt, finding workarounds through other connected devices.
So do phones belong in schools? Not exactly. Research in cognitive psychology shows that even the presence of a face-down phone consumes mental resources. Suppressing the impulse to check a device carries a cognitive cost — each act of inhibition drains mental energy that could otherwise support learning. In that sense, reducing access during lessons makes sense; but bans alone don’t address the broader issues of wellbeing, inclusion, or digital skills. A complex situation, for sure.
One way to begin thinking of this is to flip the script – and begin to focus on how we cultivate focus. Rather than strict controls, a competence-based approach starts from the premise that children need to learn to manage technology, not simply be shielded from it. This might include:
- Designing classrooms for focus, not control — make distraction less convenient rather than outlawing devices altogether (think phone pockets).
- Setting clear baselines: phones off during lessons, perhaps use in non-instructional time
- Allowing guided flexibility for teachers who integrate devices purposefully.
- Including student voice in rule-making to build understanding and ownership.
- Teach students about attention and digital competence as part of the curriculum [this one is super important!]
- Make sure all stakeholders are on-board, parents too!
Designing for focus does mean that phones (in most cases) are out of the classroom, but that isn’t the same as banning them. A ban controls behaviour; a focus-first approach cultivates capacity. The difference lies in intent: one removes choice, the other develops it. Portugal’s new policy shows a genuine commitment to children’s wellbeing – a commitment that deserves recognition. The next step is to translate that care into competence, shaping classrooms that not only protect focus but also teach it. That is how we move from “phone-free” to “focus-friendly” schools.