Although with some doubts about some categories of students (the use of the telephone should remain allowed to students with disabilities or specific learning disorders), from the new school year that will begin in a few days, all Italian schools will have to apply precise rules on the use of electronic devices in the classroom.
The measure, provided for by the note MIM n. 5274/2024 for the first cycle and from the most recent note MIM n. 3392/2025 for high schools, was born with a clear goal: to contrast the excessive and often unaware use of smartphones among students. The circular signed by the minister in June Valditara In fact, it establishes that the smartphone can no longer be used at any time of the school day.
A choice that marks a clear change of step and that, now that schools reopen, must translate into daily practice.
Why this prohibition?
According to the minister, the decision would not be born from a battle against technology, but from the need to put learning, concentration and human relationships at the center. According to Valditara, the use (and sometimes abuse) of class smartphones would compromise attention, would reduce cognitive abilities, creating digital dependence and often feeding social insulation and cyberbullying phenomena.
How to apply the ban: each school chooses its own method
The ministerial regulation leaves the freedom to decide how to organize themselves concretely, updating their internal regulations to the individual schools. A task far from simple for managers and teachers, called to find practical solutions that respect the rules without violating the privacy of the students. And, in the chaos that is already school today, we imagine chaos.
Among the most common options there is the use of wall storage: simple panels with as many numbered pockets as there are pupils. Each student, entering the classroom, deposits his cell phone in the assigned compartment, and then resumes it only during the breaks or a fine lesson (except specific prohibitions).
Cellar-cello cabinets
A safer but also more expensive alternative is represented by locked lockers. In this case, the students deliver the phone at the beginning of the day and collect it only at the exit. A more rigid system, which however requires a consistent investment: there is talk of over 70 euros for each unit.
However, it will be up to the colleges of teachers and institute advice to decide how to apply the ban and with what resources. The goal remains the same: to make sure that the rule becomes concrete and truly effective, while guaranteeing order and safety. Our wish is that nothing is left to chance.
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