Torgelow News

Mobile phone ban in schools?

Schloss Torgelow: Boarding School & High School Torgelow News Mobile phone ban in schools?

The discussion about a general mobile phone ban in schools, as is currently planned in Schleswig-Holstein up to the ninth grade, shifts the focus to the use of digital media in everyday school life. What is still controversially debated in many places has been a lived practice for years at the Private Boarding School Schloss Torgelow:

During school hours, private phone use is prohibited for all grade levels. Students up to and including grade 8 must submit their phones in the boarding area and only receive them back in the evening for a short, designated time. From grade 9 onwards, students are allowed to keep their phones, but the same rule applies: phone usage is generally prohibited during class and school hours. If a phone is used illegally, it will be confiscated for a school week.

As part of the educational concept, students are to engage more with each other and less with digital isolation.

Just 30 minutes a day: mindful use of the phone

For students in grades 5 to 7, there is daily cellphone use from 8:00 PM to 8:30 PM in the “House of the Future,” the boarding area for younger students. During this half hour, children can call or text their parents. Afterwards, they hand their phones back to the boarding staff. Eighth graders receive their phones after dinner until bedtime. Additionally, landline phones are available in all boarding houses to maintain contact with family at any time. From ninth grade to twelfth grade, students keep their phones but are not allowed to use them at school.

This limitation on mobile phone use has a noticeably positive effect on the well-being of the students. School sponsor Mario Lehmann emphasizes: “We are experiencing in the boarding school how more quietness, healthy sleep, and a balanced daily rhythm are established.”

Diverse everyday life with real experiences

The structured boarding school routine offers little room for digital distractions. Over 75 extracurricular activities, from soccer to cooking, from robotics to fishing, invite students to discover talents, nurture friendships, and actively experience community.

Especially important is the genuine togetherness. Friendships do not form over screens, but through living and learning together. Students experience support, closeness, and also the challenge of resolving conflicts and finding compromises – through direct contact, not via chats or social media.

The expansive campus also plays an important role. The proximity to the lake and many opportunities for movement create a counterbalance to the digital world and allow experiences with all the senses.

Boarding school educators guide children individually, support them in their personal development, and specifically strengthen social learning. Especially after the restrictions of the Corona years, this is a central task.

Digital education with a system

Despite limited mobile phone usage, children and teenagers learn to navigate life in an increasingly digitalized world. Starting in grade 7, students work with school-managed iPads. Initially, they are used to supplement classroom instruction; from grade 10 onwards, they largely replace traditional notebooks and textbooks. Teachers closely support this usage and specifically promote media literacy.

“We do not support the use of private iPads in the classroom,” said Lehmann. “The distraction from personal devices is simply too great when social media notifications keep popping up. The iPads of our students are school work devices, whose use is limited both in time and content.”

Conclusion

The experiences at Schloss Torgelow show: A limited and thoughtfully integrated use of mobile phones and other digital devices can contribute to greater calmness, better sleep, and healthy development.

Instead of a constant digital presence, children and adolescents experience real friendship, personal development, and a vibrant community. The boarding school focuses on clear structures, diverse leisure activities, and personal support, creating an environment where young people can grow away from the psychological burdens of constant media consumption.