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Ceramic and pottery classes are currently being used in Iran to reduce cellphone usage among school-going children.
"We are trying to draw children to courses that are educational and recreational at the same time to change their psychological state," says Sumaya al Baghdadi, the art teacher who designed the courses.
"Games on mobile phones include harmful things... weapons, violence and killing. They even include language that is inappropriate." Watch the video above for the full story.
Iran isn't the only country taking extra precaution around cellphone usage.
In France this year, a law has been passed banning children under the age of 15 from using any connectable device during school time, with the exception of devices used for educational purposes.
The country has also outlawed texting in a car, even when pulled over.
Countries that have adopted a similar approach include Spain, India, and Cyprus.
Some South African schools also implement a ban on cellphone usage during school hours. Should all SA schools do this? Tell us by emailing to chatback@parent24.com and we could publish your letter.
Should it be a global trend?
The negative impact of cellphone usage is well documented, with one rehab clinic specialist Mandy Saligari warning that giving a child or teen a smartphone is like feeding them drugs.
A Canadian study connected speech delays with cellphone usage in children under the age of two, and a 2017 Iranian study linked using cellphones around bedtime with poor sleep quality.
Should South Africa implement a ban on cellphone usage in schools? Tell us by emailing to chatback@parent24.com and we could publish your letter.
Read more:
- Is your tot addicted to your smartphone?
- Toddlers + touch-screens = little sleep?
- Screen time: What schools think about cellphone usage
- Cellphones age by age
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