Majority of Schools in the Country Have Rules for Student Cellphone Use, Reveals TIC Educação 2023

Launched this Tuesday (6th), the survey shows that restrictions on the use of the device occur more frequently in primary education establishments.

In 64% of elementary and secondary schools in the country, students can use cellphones only in certain spaces and times, while 28% of educational institutions do not allow students to use the device. This is what the TIC Education 2023 reveals, launched this Tuesday (6th) by the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br). Carried out by the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br) of the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br), the survey shows that the control of cell phone use is higher. In institutions serving younger students, up to the early years of elementary school, the proportion of schools prohibiting the use of the device increased from 32% in 2020 to 43% in 2023. In those offering education up to the later years of elementary school, the percentage rose from 10% to 21%, between the 2020 and 2023 editions of the survey. Only 8% of institutions serving high school students prohibit cellphone use in school.

The study also found that, in addition to establishing rules regarding cellphone use, more schools have also started to limit student Wi-Fi use. Of the total elementary and secondary schools with Internet, in the majority (58%), access to this type of wireless network is restricted by password use, with 26% of institutions allowing students to use the technology. It is also possible to observe, based on the comparison of indicators collected between the 2020 and 2023 editions of the survey, a reduction in the proportion of schools that allow Wi-Fi access for students—from 35% to 26%—and an increase in the percentage of those restricting access—from 48% to 58%.

“Discussion on the use of digital technologies by students has mobilized the school community and specialists in the field. On one hand, educational policies have sought to reduce inequalities in access opportunities and the development of digital skills for students in educational institutions. On the other hand, there is recognition that expanding connectivity can only be considered 'meaningful' if student participation in digital environments occurs safely, responsibly, critically, and in a manner appropriate to their well-being,” comments Alexandre Barbosa, manager of Cetic.br | NIC.br.

Connectivity: Internet Access and Presence of Digital Devices
According to the TIC Education 2023 survey, there is internet access in 92% of elementary and secondary schools in the country, representing a 10-percentage-point increase compared to 2020. The current edition of the survey also shows that network access has grown in regions and institutions that have historically faced greater connectivity challenges. In schools located in rural areas, for example, this proportion rose from 52% to 81%, and among municipal schools, from 71% to 89%.

There has also been progress in the presence of internet in pedagogical spaces: 82% of connected municipal institutions have network access in the classroom, a proportion that was 60% in 2020. Among institutions located in rural areas, the proportion increased from 61% in 2020 to 82% in 2023, and among those in urban areas, from 69% to 81%.

Among educational establishments without internet access (which account for 8% of the total), the main reasons for the lack of network connection are: “lack of internet access infrastructure in the school” (66%), “lack of access infrastructure in the region where the school is located” (63%), and the “high cost of connection” (52%). The data collected by the study also highlighted an increase in the proportion of managers who mentioned the absence of electrical power in the school as a reason for no connectivity, with this number rising from 17% to 32% between 2020 and 2023.

According to the survey, 90% of elementary and secondary schools have at least one computer (tablet, notebook, or desktop). In educational institutions in urban areas, the proportion is 99%, and in rural areas, it is 75%. Among municipal schools, 84% have at least one device, a percentage that is 97% in state schools and 99% in private institutions.

Of the total educational institutions, 62% have computers for student use in teaching and learning activities. Among schools located in rural areas, the proportion is 39%, and in municipal areas, 49%. Data from state schools stand out: 84% reported having at least one device for student use, exceeding the percentage of private schools with this same connectivity condition (74%).

Offering Connectivity for Use in Teaching and Learning Activities
Beyond the availability of quality internet access, it is crucial for schools to have a sufficient number of digital devices, enabling the use of these resources for pedagogical purposes. According to the 2023 edition of the TIC Education survey, 84% of elementary and secondary institutions have internet access and at least one computer.

However, when analyzing the proportion of institutions with network connection for students in at least one school space, and the presence of a computer for student use in educational activities, the proportion drops to 57%. This indicator presents even lower percentages when considering schools in the North (31%) and Northeast (44%) regions, rural areas (33%), municipal institutions (44%), and those with up to 50 enrollments (24%).

Among state schools, 81% have internet access in at least one of the school spaces and at least one computer for student use, surpassing the proportion of private schools (69%). However, one of the aspects that differentiates the connectivity conditions between them is the quality of connection. In private educational establishments, the main difficulty faced concerning network connection is the internet signal not reaching rooms that are farther from the router, happening always or almost always in 17% of them. Among state public schools, the main difficulty reported by managers was the incapacity of the contracted internet to support many accesses at the same time (41%), a condition mentioned by only 8% of private schools.

“Although the connectivity data in schools demonstrates concrete advances in the dissemination of internet access and the presence of computers in educational establishments, challenges related to the use of these resources by students can still be observed. Such challenges may deepen inequalities in access to opportunities among students from different social groups,” evaluates Barbosa.

Use of Digital Platforms
The 2023 edition of the TIC Education survey also presents data on the digitalization of pedagogical and management activities in elementary and secondary institutions through the adoption of systems, applications, and digital platforms. Among state schools, 96% have an

This content was automatically translated with the support of artificial intelligence.