Cyprus to Ban Mobile Phones in Schools

Cyprus's Minister of Education, Athena Michaelidou, announced on Wednesday that "the country intends to impose a ban on the use of mobile phones in schools," stating that they distract students and isolate them from society. She indicated that the authorities plan to implement this ban after discussing it with parliament. She added that Cyprus will follow the lead of several other European countries, based on recommendations from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). She continued, "It is clear that the use of mobile phones diverts students from their lessons, but more importantly, it is associated with increasing rates of anti-social behavior." She further clarified that the ban will not prevent students from bringing their phones to school, but they will only be prohibited from using them. Official data shows that the number of active mobile phones in Cyprus exceeds 1.4 million, which is more than the population of the island, slightly below one million in government-controlled areas.