The education ministry plans to soon allow junior high school students to bring smartphones to school, which is currently prohibited in principle.
The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry decided to revise the existing rules, saying mobile phones are effective in dealing with emergencies and preventing crime. It plans to set limits on the use of the phones in schools.
A proposal will be made to a panel of experts within the ministry that has been discussing revising the rules. At a meeting with the panel on Wednesday, the ministry will examine details and inform boards of education nationwide.
In 2009, the ministry issued a notice banning students, in principle, from bringing mobile phones to elementary and junior high schools, allowing it only in such rare cases as long-distance commuting.
Mobile phone use is growing among children, and the ministry finds the devices useful as communication tools in case of disasters and other emergencies. Students are not allowed to use their mobile phones to make phone calls, use the internet or send text messages during class.
Many junior high school students come home late because they participate in club activities or attend cram schools. If phones can be taken to school, they can be used to contact parents afterward, and can also aid in crime prevention if parents and students install smartphone apps that can identify the phone owner's location.
According to a draft of the plan, schools, students and parents will have to agree on the following points: (1) how the school will manage mobile phone use and clarification of responsibility in case of problems, such as the disappearance of a mobile phone; (2) parents setting up filters to restrict access to harmful websites; and (3) appropriate guidance at school and at home on the dangers and proper use of mobile phones.
The ministry will maintain its policy of prohibiting students from bringing mobile phones to elementary school because mobile phone ownership is relatively low among elementary students and their commutes are not long. High school students are already allowed to bring mobile phones to school.
According to the Cabinet Office, smartphone usage in fiscal 2018 was 45.9% for elementary students and 70.6% for junior high school students. According to a survey by the education ministry, more than 90% of public elementary and junior high schools nationwide prohibited students, in principle, from bringing their mobile phones to school as of Aug. 1, 2019.
However, about 70% of elementary and junior high schools said they sometimes allow it at the request of students' families.
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