Thurgau Cantonal Council Member Advocates School Cell Phone Ban after Utilizing device During Debate
THURGAU,SWITZERLAND – Aโฃ Thurgau Cantonal Councilโค member publicly called for a banโฃ on mobile phones โin schools following a council meeting โคlast Monday,a move highlighted by the fact theโ council member was observed using their own phone โฃand laptop during the debate. Theโข proposal,brought โforward by Tom Werner,centers on concerns about student distraction and addiction to platforms like TikTok,Snapchat,and Instagram.
Werner’s โcall for a ban comes amid growing โคdebate over the role of technology in education. He cited โฃthe success of โsimilar bans in โคotherโฃ cantons, claiming students there have even expressed enthusiasm for โtheโฃ policy. According to โWerner, 80 percent of teachers in thurgau are โขcurrently overwhelmed by the challenges presentedโค by student mobile โphone use.
During theโฃ council meeting,โ werner reportedly used his cell phone and laptop โคto manage personal tasks – โincludingโ booking autumn holidays, ordering winter clothing, โคchecking sugar beet delivery billing, and posting โon Facebook – while other members were speaking. He thenโฃ addressed the council, stating, “It is high time โthat we ban theโฃ cell phones at our schools. The young people are simply distracted โคtoo muchโฆ Ofโข course we are also in favor of learning the โhandling of the digital โworld independently. But practice shows that they cannot.”
Following his speech, Werner instantly checked his Facebook account, โขnoting he had received 25 likes on aโฃ post related to the topic he hadโข just discussed. He then proceeded to a Wega meeting, stating the beer was “deservedly earned.”