- The measure also extends to other electronic equipment such as laptops and tablets | Photo: Jose Daniel Ramos @danielj2511
The government of Nicolás Maduro revealed that for this 2024-2025 school year it began to implement a pilot plan to regularize the use of cell phones in public schools in Venezuela.
Maduro reported in his program With Maduro+, that this measure has already been implemented in 100 high schools and schools. He added that the plan is going “very well.”
However, he did not offer details on how they are implementing this plan in schools or if it involves an outright ban on the teams.
“School attention and the production of knowledge and capabilities have increased. Sociability and exchange between boys and girls have increased, the anxiety of the anxious generation and violence have decreased,” he stated in the program broadcast on Monday, November 11.
A measure that extends to laptops and tablets
The measure will not only target cell phones, but also laptops and tablets. Maduro announced that this plan is coordinated with the Minister of Education, Héctor Rodríguez.
“The issue of the harmful influence on the minds of children and young people that these electronic devices have. It is already a global issue,” he confirmed.
Likewise, he assured that 66% of Venezuelans believe that the use of cell phones should not be allowed in schools and neither should social networks.
“It is an important issue, the concerns are seeing children and the influence they are receiving (…) The influence on social networks is very strong because there is a lot of dependence on the telephone,” he added.
Regularization of social networks
Although this is the first time that the government has established a plan to regularize social networks in schools, they have already made reference to this measure in general.
In August 2024, a group of deputies from Venezuela announced that they were working on a law to regulate social networks.
The measure took place after Nicolás Maduro pointed out the American WhatsApp and Instagram and the Chinese TikTok as instruments “multipliers of hatred and fascism.”
Since August 8, the government of Nicolás Maduro ordered the National Telecommunications Commission (Conatel) block X in Venezuela.
“X leave Venezuela for 10 days, so that they can present requests and establish the definitive administrative measure, but enough is enough, enough is enough of trying to sow violence, hatred, of trying to attack Venezuela from the outside,” he asserted. However, three months later, users on the social network detail that they must activate a VPN to be able to enter.
After the July 28 elections, Nicolás Maduro accused the South African businessman who owns X, Elon Musk, of being involved in a “cyber coup” against him.
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How does Nicolás Maduro justify the banning of social media and cell phones in schools?
The article discusses recent measures taken by the Venezuelan government, under Nicolás Maduro, to regulate the use of electronic devices among school children. It highlights that the new policy will not only encompass cell phones but also laptops and tablets. The intention behind this initiative is to address concerns regarding the negative impact of these devices on young people’s mental health, which Maduro and his administration believe is a global issue.
According to Maduro, a significant portion of the Venezuelan population (66%) supports the idea that cell phones and social networks should be banned in schools. He emphasizes the importance of mitigating the detrimental influence of social networks, stating that there is a strong dependence on mobile phones among children.
Additionally, the article touches upon broader efforts to regulate social media in Venezuela, mentioning that members of the national assembly have been drafting legislation aimed at this goal. These measures are part of a broader strategy to combat what Maduro describes as “multipliers of hatred and fascism”—pointing specifically to platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok. In an effort to enforce this, the government has also directed the National Telecommunications Commission to block certain social media platforms, starting with the platform X (formerly known as Twitter).