Ukuvinjwa Kwefoni Esikoleni: Lokho Okukhombisa Ubufakazi Ngemuva KweWave Yokuqala

Ngo-2023 no-2024, igagasi lokuvinjelwa komakhalekhukhwini ezikoleni lasakazeka emazweni amaningi: iFrance yelula inqubomgomo yayo eyayivele ikhona, i-Australia yaphasisa umthetho kazwelonke, i-England yaqinisa imihlahlandlela, kanti izifundazwe zase-US kusukela eFlorida kuya eIndiana zaphasisa imithetho evimba amafoni emakilasini. Ngo-2025, amazwe amaningi ayesenohlobo oluthile lokukhawulelwa kwamafoni esikoleni.

Idatha yokuqala yangemva kokuvinjelwa isiyatholakala. Imiphumela ixubekile — ezinye izifundo zithola izinzuzo, kanti isifundo esikhulu kunazo zonke e-UK kuze kube manje asitholanga lutho mayelana nenhlalakahle noma amamaki — kodwa uma ibhekwa ndawonye, isitshela okuthile okuwusizo mayelana nokuthi omakhalekhukhwini benzenjani kubafundi nokuthi ukuvinjelwa kungalungisa ini nokungeke kukwazi ukulungisa ini.

Kungani ukuvinjelwa kwenzeka: ubufakazi obukhuthazayo

Ukunyakaza kwemigomo kwakhuthazwa ukuhlanganiswa kwezinsiza ezazihlangene kakhulu ukuze zingabhekwa. Ucwaningo lweLondon School of Economics lukaBeland noMurphy lwango-2016 lwathola ukuthi ukuvimbela amafoni ezikoleni kwathuthukisa amaphuzu ezivivinyo kubafundi abaphumelelayo kancane ngama-14.23% we-standard deviation — ngaphandle kokuthinta abafundi abaphumelelayo, kukhombisa ukuthi ukufinyelela kumafoni kubangela ubuhlungu kakhulu kulabo abangakakwazi ukuzilawula. Umphumela wawukhulu kakhulu kubafundi abavela emakhaya anokungabi nandlela.

Ngokuhlanganyela, idatha yezempilo yengqondo yentsha eyashicilelwa abacwaningi abafaka uJean Twenge noJonathan Haidt ibonise ukwehla okukhulu empilweni yentsha — ukukhula kokudangala, ukukhathazeka, nokuhlukumezeka — kube nokuguquka okuthile phakathi kuka-2012 no-2013, kuhambisana nokwamukelwa kabanzi kwe-smartphone. Incwadi kaHaidt ka-2024 ethi The Anxious Generation ihlanganise lezi zinto futhi yaba umgqugquzeli wezinyathelo zepolitiki ezweni eliningi.

Izindlela azifani. Ukusebenza kwezemfundo kuphazamiseka ngenxa yokuphazamiseka nokushintsha kwemisebenzi — amafoni ezikoleni aphazamisa ukunakwa ngisho noma engasetshenziswa ngqo. Impilo yengqondo iphazamiseka ngezindlela ezihlukene: ukuqhathaniswa komphakathi, ukushintshwa kokulala nokuzivocavoca, kanye nezimo zokuklomelisa eziguquguqukayo zemidiya yokuxhumana ezinamandla ikakhulukazi ngesikhathi sentsha.

Lokhu okukhonjiswa idatha emva kokwenqaba

Ukusebenza kwezemfundo. Ubufakazi obuqine kakhulu bokuzuza ezifundweni busesezidatheni zezikole zaseNgilandi zikaBeland noMurphy, lapho le nzuzo yayigxile kakhulu kubafundi abebenza kancane. Umbiko we-UNESCO we-2023 Global Education Monitoring Report wacaphuna okutholakele okufana nalokhu kodwa waphinde wagcizelela ukuthi ubufakazi obuqinile ngobuchwepheshe emakilasini busalinganiselwe.

Ukuthi ukuvinjelwa kuqaliswa kanjani kungenzeka kubalulekile: ifoni esekhabetheni noma esikhwameni esincane isusa isilingo ngendlela u-"silent in pocket" engenzi ngayo. Umthwalo wokucabanga ovela efonini awuveli ekuyisebenziseni kuphela — ukuba khona kwedivayisi eseduze kugcina ukuqaphela okuphansi okuqhubekayo okudla izinsiza zokucabanga (okuhambisana nemiphumela yaselebhu kaWard et al. yango-2017, nakuba ukuphindaphinda okwalungiselelwa kusengaphambili kamuva kungayitholanga leyo miphumela; Ruiz Pardo & Minda, 2022).

Ukuziphatha komphakathi nenhlalakahle. Lapha idatha ihlukahlukene kakhulu kodwa iqonde endaweni efanayo. Izikole eziningana e-UK nase-Australia zibike ukuthi abafundi basebenzisa amakhefu kakhulu ekukhulumeni ubuso nobuso, ekusebenzeni ngokomzimba, nasekudlaleni ngokukhululeka ngemva kokususa amafoni. Ezinye izikole ziphinde zibike ukuncipha kokuhlukunyezwa, ikakhulukazi ukuxhashazwa ku-inthanethi ngama-group chats ngesikhathi sesikole, nakuba idatha ehlelekile isamancane.

Imibiko yabafundi iyahluka: abafundi abaningi bathi bayawukhumbula amafoni abo ngesikhathi sesikole, kanti abanye bachaza ukuthi bazizwa bengaphazamiseki kancane futhi bekhona kakhulu. Okucacile ukuthi amafoni angena kangakanani osukwini lwesikole ngaphandle kokuvinjelwa: ocwaningweni lokulandelela lwe-Common Sense Media, u-97% wabaneminyaka engu-11 kuya kwengu-17 abane-smartphone basebenzise amafoni abo ngesikhathi sesikole, ngesilinganiso esimaphakathi semizuzu engu-43. Idatha enhle yokuthi abafundi bazizwa kanjani ngaphansi kokuvinjelwa okuqinile isasamancane, ngakho qaphela izibalo eziqondile zokwaneliseka.

Okuhlangenwe nakho kothisha. Othisha ezikoleni ezibe nokuvinjelwa bavame ukubika ukuzibandakanya okukhulu ekilasini nokuphazamiseka okuncane, nakuba lokhu kuyimibiko ikakhulukazi kunokulinganisa okulawulwayo. Okunye okubalulekile okufanele kukhunjulwe: ucwaningo lwe-SMART Schools lwaqhathanisa abafundi abangu-1,227 ezikoleni zamabanga aphakeme ezingama-30 eNgilandi lwathola ukuthi akukho mehluko enhlalakahleni yengqondo, ekulaleni, noma emiphumeleni phakathi kwezinqubomgomo zocingo eziqinile nezivumayo (Goodyear et al., 2025). Okutholakele okubalulekile kwakuwukuthi abafundi bachitha isikhathi esingakanani emafonini nasezinkundleni zokuxhumana sekukonke, ngaphakathi nangaphandle kwesikole.

Imibono ephikisanayo — nokuthi ibamba kanjani

"Abafundi badinga amafoni ukuze babe nephephile." Lokhu kuyisiphakamiso esithinta imizwa kakhulu. Impendulo evela ezinhlelweni eziningi zokuphatha ukuthi izikole zingagcina ukuxhumana okuphuthumayo ngezikhalazo ezikhona (ama-telefoni ehhovisi, ukuxhumana okwenziwa abasebenzi) ngenkathi zigcina amadivayisi abafundi. Akukho bufakazi obukhombisa ukuthi ukuvinjwa kwamafoni kube nomthelela ekuphenduleni okuphuthumayo. Empeleni, le mbono yokuphepha ivame ukusebenza njengomfanekiso wokuthanda kwabazali kunokuba kube nesikhala sokuphepha esibhalwe phansi.

"Ukuvinjwa akufundisi ukuzibamba." Lokhu kuyisikhundla esihambisanayo sokufundisa kodwa okungaqondi kahle imibhalo yokuthuthukiswa. Ukuzilawula akuyona ikhono elithuthukiswa ngokubhekana nokuhlukumezeka — kuthuthukiswa ngokuphindaphindiwe kokuzama ukuphumelela kokulawula ezimweni ezilula. Ukususwa kwefoni esikoleni kudala isimo esilawulwayo lapho ezinye izakhono zokuzilawula zingathuthukiswa. Le mbono izosebenza ngokufanayo nokungafaki imishini yokudlala ezikoleni ngenxa yokuthi abafundi badinga ukuzijwayeza ukuvuma.

"Akubheki inkinga eyinhloko." Kuliqiniso, futhi akekho umsekeli oqotho othi kunjalo. Ukuvinjelwa kubhekana nomongo owodwa othile — amahora esikole — ngaphakathi kwesistimu enkulu yokusebenzisa amafoni. Ubufakazi bokuthi lokhu kungenelela okuyingxenye kuyasiza buxubile: kubonakala kusiza kakhulu ekuphazamisekeni ngesikhathi sezifundo, kodwa kuncane ubufakazi obucacile mayelana nenhlalakahle.

Lokhu kusitshela ngokuqhubeka kokusebenzisa ifoni kwabantu abadala

Ucwaningo lokuvinjelwa kwezingcingo esikoleni lukhombisa okuthile okubanzi: imiphumela ebhalwe emakilasini — ukusebenza kwengqondo okwehle, ukunaka okuphazamisekile, nokuxhumana komphakathi okunciphe — akukhona okwentsha kuphela. Izifundo zikaWard nabanye zabika izindleko ezifanayo kubantu abadala, nakuba ubukhulu bazo manje bungaqinisekile. Umehluko ukuthi abantu abadala banomuzwa wokuthi bayazikhethela, futhi akukho gunya langaphandle elidala isimo esivikelekile.

Ucwaningo lokuvinjelwa kwezingcingo esikoleni lufana nokuhlola okukhulu kwemvelo kokuthi kwenzekani uma ifoni isuswa esimweni esithile isikhathi esichaziwe. Lapho kusebenza khona, imiphumela — ukuphazamiseka okumbalwa, ukugxila okungcono, nesikhathi esiningi sobuso nobuso — ifana nalokho abantu abadala abakubika ngemva kwezikhathi zabo abazikhethele zona zokunciphisa ukusetshenziswa kwefoni. Futhi okutholwe yi-SMART Schools kuletha isifundo esifanayo kubantu abadala: ukususa ifoni amahora ambalwa kubaluleke kancane kunokuthi uyisebenzisa kangakanani sekukonke.

Kubantu abadala, okusho lokhu ukuthi into efana kakhulu futhi esebenza kakhulu ekuvinjelweni kwefoni esikoleni akusona isibindi sokuzibamba — wukuhlela indawo ekuzungezile. Izikhathi zokusebenza ngaphandle kwefoni, ifoni ibe kwenye indawo ngokomzimba, ukudla ngaphandle kwamadivayisi, namagumbi okulala angenafoni. Ucwaningo lwesikole luphakamisa ukuthi ukususa ifoni (hhayi nje inhloso yokuyisebenzisa kancane) yikho okuvikela ukugxila esimweni esithile — futhi ukuthi ukusetshenziswa sekukonke yikho okubalulekile enhlalakahleni.

Okulandelayo kuyini

Ingxoxo yenqubomgomo izoqhubeka. Kungenzeka ukuthi amazwe amaningi azamukele izivimbelo ezikoleni kuze kube ngu-2026 nangaphezulu, nakuba ubufakazi busaxubile. Umbuzo onzima kakhulu — ukuthi kwenziweni ngokusetshenziswa kwefoni ngaphandle kwamahora esikole — usengakabhekwana nawo kakhulu ngezinqubomgomo futhi ushiyelwa imindeni nabantu ngabanye.

Ucwaningo lokuvinjelwa kwezingcingo ezikoleni aluphenduli ukuthi abantu ngabanye kufanele benzeni mayelana nokusetshenziswa kwabo kwefoni. Kodwa lukhombisa ukuthi ukususa idivayisi esimweni esithile kungakwazi futhi kungakwazi ukwenzani: kunciphisa ukuphazamiseka kuleso simo, kanti inhlalakahle incike kakhulu emikhubeni iyonke kunomthetho owodwa.

Sources

1. Beland, L.P., & Murphy, R. (2016). Ill Communication: Technology, distraction & student performance. Labour Economics, 41, 61–76.
2. UNESCO (2023). Technology in education: A tool on whose terms? Global Education Monitoring Report.
3. Haidt, J. (2024). The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. Penguin Press.
4. Ward, A.F., et al. (2017). Brain drain: the mere presence of one's own smartphone reduces available cognitive capacity. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 2(2), 140–154.
5. Common Sense Media (2023). Constant Companion: A Week in the Life of a Young Person's Smartphone Use. Common Sense Media Research.
6. Ruiz Pardo, A.C., & Minda, J.P. (2022). Reexamining the "brain drain" effect: A replication of Ward et al. (2017). Acta Psychologica, 230, 103717.
7. Goodyear, V.A., Randhawa, A., Adab, P., Al-Janabi, H., et al. (2025). School phone policies and their association with mental wellbeing, phone use, and social media use (SMART Schools): A cross-sectional observational study. The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, 51, 101211.

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