The overwhelming majority of Hungarians support the ban on smartphones in schools, with 85 per cent agreeing with the government decree restricting mobile phone use, according to a recent survey commissioned by the Szent István Institute, the results of which were shared on Wednesday.
It was noted that the government decree limiting mobile phone use in schools was issued in early August and will take effect in September. Similar measures have been implemented earlier in countries like England, France, the Netherlands, Australia, Greece, Finland, and Sweden, where smartphones have been essentially banned from schools since the end of last year.
The representative survey, conducted by the Nézőpont Institute with 1,000 respondents, assessed how problematic adults in Hungary perceive young people’s use of smart devices and how much they agree with the new government decree. Four questions were posed: what children most frequently use their devices for; how significant a problem phone addiction is among children; what respondents think about the legal age for joining social media platforms being set at 13; and whether they agree with the ban on mobile phone use in schools during school days, except for educational purposes. According to 65 per cent of respondents, children primarily use smartphones for entertainment, while 21 per cent indicated information gathering, and 9 per cent cited communication as the main use.
The responses revealed that
there is hardly anyone in Hungary who does not consider smartphone use to be at least somewhat problematic for children.
The situation is seen as most severe by those with primary education and by the 40–59 age group, with 70 and 69 per cent respectively believing there is a significant issue. Those with secondary education and Budapest residents are less pessimistic, with 59 and 56 per cent respectively sharing this view. However, even among the most lenient Budapest residents, only 3 per cent feel that there is no problem with device use, the survey noted. Most respondents consider the regulation allowing children to legally join social media platforms from the age of 13 not strict enough. The only exception is in Budapest, where 47 per cent believe the regulation is adequate, and only 44 per cent think it is too lenient. This view sets Budapest apart from the national average, where nearly twice as many people consider the regulation too lenient. Non-Budapest city dwellers and those with primary education are the most in favour of stricter regulation, with 60 and 66 per cent respectively supporting this stance.
The survey found that the decision to restrict phone use enjoys significant support across Hungarian society, with 85 per cent in favour of the measure.
The lowest level of acceptance was found in Budapest, where 75 per cent still support the measure, which is nonetheless a high proportion. There is, however, a significant generational divide: less than half (48 per cent) of 18–39-year-olds fully agree with the restriction. In contrast, 70 per cent of 40–59-year-olds and 79 per cent of those aged 60 and over fully support the measure.
‘Overall, it can be said that a convincing majority of the adult Hungarian population, 94 per cent, acknowledges the problems associated with young people’s use of smart devices, and 85 per cent agree with the government decree restricting mobile phone use,’ the statement concludes.
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