News: 0180252067

  ARM Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set fire to him and he's warm for the rest of his life (Terry Pratchett, Jingo)

Singapore Extends Secondary School Smartphone Ban To Cover Entire School Day (straitstimes.com)

(Monday December 01, 2025 @05:40PM (msmash) from the drawing-the-line dept.)


Singapore's Ministry of Education has announced that secondary school students will be [1]banned from using smartphones and smartwatches throughout the entire school day starting January 2026, extending current restrictions beyond regular lesson time to cover recess, co-curricular activities, and supplementary lessons. Under the new guidelines, students must store their phones in designated areas like lockers or keep them in their school bags.

Smartwatches also fall under the ban because they enable messaging and social media access, which the ministry says can lead to distractions and reduced peer interaction. Schools may allow exceptions where necessary. Some secondary schools adopted these tighter rules after they were announced for primary schools in January 2025, and the ministry reports improved student well-being and more physical interaction during breaks at those schools. The ministry is also moving the default sleep time for school-issued personal learning devices from 11pm to 10.30pm starting January.



[1] https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/parenting-education/no-phone-use-in-secondary-schools-from-2026-including-during-recess-and-ccas


Why is this old hat interesting ? (Score:1)

by greytree ( 7124971 )

Many countries already ban smartphones at school.

Did the poster not know this, or will we get a new story posted here every time another country does this ?

https://www.euronews.com/next/2024/12/29/which-countries-in-europe-have-banned-or-want-to-restrict-smartphones-in-schools

This is happening even in the US (Score:4, Insightful)

by hdyoung ( 5182939 )

and I totally support it. As much as I value the American version of "freEEEeddDDdoooOOOOooomMMm", I've interacted with a fair number of K-12 teachers in US schools that implemented the cell-phones-go-in-a-box school policy. They all say the same thing: the difference is night and day in terms of the frequency of behavioral problems.

When it comes to intersection between kids, school, attention spans and behavioral problems, cell phones are basically like fentanyl. No, sorry, we just can't legalize it. The stuff is simply too damaging.

Your Co-worker Could Be a Space Alien, Say Experts
...Here's How You Can Tell
Many Americans work side by side with space aliens who look human -- but you
can spot these visitors by looking for certain tip-offs, say experts. They
listed 10 signs to watch for:
(3) Bizarre sense of humor. Space aliens who don't understand
earthly humor may laugh during a company training film or tell
jokes that no one understands, said Steiger.
(6) Misuses everyday items. "A space alien may use correction
fluid to paint its nails," said Steiger.
(8) Secretive about personal life-style and home. "An alien won't
discuss details or talk about what it does at night or on weekends."
(10) Displays a change of mood or physical reaction when near certain
high-tech hardware. "An alien may experience a mood change when
a microwave oven is turned on," said Steiger.
The experts pointed out that a co-worker would have to display most if not
all of these traits before you can positively identify him as a space alien.
-- National Enquirer, Michael Cassels, August, 1984.

[I thought everybody laughed at company training films. Ed.]