A JKU Study Reveals 74 % of Teachers Support a School Cell Phone Ban

949 teachers responded to an Austrian-wide survey conducted by the öbv in partnership with the JKU's School of Education.

Professor Christoph Helm
Professor Christoph Helm

In November/December 2024, and in partnership with the School of Education at the Johannes Kepler University Linz (JKU), the Österreichischer Bundesverlag (öbv) surveyed 949 teachers at different types of schools throughout Austria. The results revealed the teacher’s views of daily cell phone use in the classroom.

Ban smartphones or use them for educational purposes?
44% of the teachers surveyed indicated being clearly in favor of a ban on smartphones in the classroom, while 30% indicted being “somewhat” in favor. 10% of those surveyed clearly rejected a cell phone ban, while 16% “somewhat” rejected it. The interest in a smartphone ban is stronger at mandatory schools (elementary school, middle schools) rather than at higher levels (particularly vocational secondary schools, colleges, and vocational schools). Mandatory schools are also more likely to have their own cell phone rules in place.
Teachers who rated the educational benefits of digital media positively are less likely to support a general ban on smartphones. The teachers' technical equipment played only a minor role in their stance on a ban; age and digital affinity did not play a significant role.

Philipp Nussböck, managing director at öbv remarked: “For some time now, teachers have reported that smartphones can present some challenges in the classroom. It can be distracting, there are cases of cyberbullying, as well as problematic content in class groups on messaging services and we have to take this seriously. Nevertheless, there is nothing fundamentally wrong with using smartphones in a school environment, especially if the phones are used in a limited extent and specifically for educational purposes.”
Christoph Helm, head of the Department of Educational Research at the JKU Linz School of Education, explains: “We have found that a preference to ban cell phones depends not only depends at which type of school, but also the teacher’s attitude toward digital technologies. Teachers who believe that digital media supports student learning are significantly less likely to call for a smartphone ban.”

Occasional Smartphone Use in Class for Educational Purposes
14% of the surveyed teachers indicated that their students often use smartphones for learning; an additional 27% responded with “sometimes”, and 30% responded with “rarely”. 29% of those surveyed indicated they did not know.
Once again, the findings depend strongly on the type of school. Teachers at general secondary schools, vocational schools, and higher-level schools say students use their smartphones more frequently for learning than at elementary school and middle schools. Again, it is important whether or not the teacher believes digital media can be educationally beneficial. They reported that students used their smartphones significantly more for educational purposes.

The teachers' technological equipment also appears to correlate favorably with their students' use of smartphones. Teachers who receive a tablet provided by the school - as well as teachers who employ the use of smartphones during the lessons themselves - report a higher level of student cell phone use for educational purposes. By contrast, a teacher’s' age, digital skills, and experience in digital teaching do not play a significant role.

Helm adds: “The findings are largely in line with another survey on the use of smartphones in the classroom. 'Blick ins Klassenzimmer' representatively selected some 120 schools, surveying approximately 19,000 school students. The survey showed that older, more tech savvy students use their smartphones more frequently to study. If they use smartphones to learn in class – which, at 2%, is extremely uncommon - they tend to use them more frequently to study at home. If, however, a laptop or tablet is used to learn in class, they use the smartphone less to study.”

Nussböck concluded: “Smartphones are not necessarily just a threat or a distraction, they can also be used for educational purposes, especially when the student doesn’t have a tablet or laptop in class. Smartphones can help harness the educational potential of digitalization.”