My Disconnected World: A Study on Students’ Perceptions of Mobile Phone Ban and Digital Well-Being in Urban and Rural Schools
Franciely Pereira Moreira 1 * , Danielli Araújo Lima 1
More Detail
1 Computational Intelligence and Robotics Laboratory, Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Triângulo Mineiro (Uberaba Campus), Brazil* Corresponding Author

Abstract

This study analyzes students’ perceptions of the Brazilian Law No. 15.100/2025, which prohibits mobile phone use in basic education, and explores its relation to screen time and digital well-being in urban and rural schools. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire with multiple-choice, Likert-scale, and open-ended questions, administered face-to-face to 199 students in grades 6–9 (100 from the rural area (RA), 99 from the urban area). Descriptive and inferential analyses (t-tests and chi-square tests) were applied to compare groups. Results showed that RA students agreed more strongly that the ban helps concentration (mean = 3.26 vs 2.29; t = 4.55; p < 0.001) and perceived it more positively overall (mean = 2.93 vs 2.20; t = 3.73; p = 0.0003). Both groups, however, recognized the pedagogical potential of mobile phones when purposefully integrated into lessons (76.4% agreement). Open-ended responses revealed mixed experiences in reducing screen time, with reports ranging from anxiety to improved focus and social interaction. This exploratory classroom-based report combines quantitative data and pedagogical reflection to illustrate students’ attitudes toward digital well-being and promote conscious technology use in education.

License

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

International Journal of Changes in Education, Volume 3, Issue 4, 2026, 563-575

https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE62027593

Publication date: 16 Aug 2026

Online publication date: 29 Jan 2026

Article Views: 4

Article Downloads: 3

Open Access References How to cite this article