Beijing to restrict use of electronic devices in schools

Beijing on Thursday issued a regulation to further control the use of electronic devices in schools and encourage more physical exercise, authorities said.

According to the regulation, students are not allowed to bring their mobile phones, tablets or other electronic devices to the classroom, while teachers are required to limit their total time length of teaching on digital screens to no more than 30 percent of their course duration.

Children's daily screen time is restricted to no more than one hour, with those under eight banned from playing video games, the regulation said.

It also called for workload reduction for first and second-graders in elementary schools, as well as the minimum duration of physical activities and sleep for students of all stages before college.

In addition, parents are asked to guide their children to use electronic devices rationally and lead their kids to participate in outdoor activities.

The regulation was co-released by 10 government departments including the municipal education commission, the municipal health commission and the municipal bureau of sports, in a bid to prevent myopia among youngsters.

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