Mexico will ban students from using mobile phones during the school day from November 3. Devices can only be used for educational activities under the supervision of teachers, or in cases involving personal emergencies, disabilities and health requirements.Mexico will ban students from using mobile phones and other electronic devices in elementary and middle schools from November 3, as President Claudia Sheinbaum's government moves to curb screen time and protect children from the harmful effects of excessive digital exposure.Under the new rule, students will not be allowed to use cellphones during the school day.

Devices can only be used for educational activities under the supervision of teachers, or in cases involving personal emergencies, disabilities and health requirements. Students will still be allowed to carry their phones while travelling to and from school.The measure is part of a wider government effort to regulate children's use of technology.

Education authorities and experts have backed restrictions, arguing that excessive exposure to digital platforms can contribute to distraction, anxiety, stress and other problems among young people.But the policy has exposed a difficult divide between the government's focus on digital well-being and parents' concerns about physical safety. For families in violence-hit areas, mobile phones are not simply gadgets that distract children in classrooms.

They are also a way to check whether their children have reached school safely or are caught up in a dangerous situation. WHY MEXICAN PARENTS ARE WORRIEDThe opposition has been particularly strong in Sinaloa, a northwestern state that has experienced persistent violence linked to organised crime.

Francisco Ortiz, the state representative of the National Union of Parents in Sinaloa, said many families would struggle to accept a rule that prevents children from having access to digital communication."I don't think parents will accept not giving their children a means of digital communication, especially when those children are spending so much time at home instead of at school," Ortiz said, as quoted by AFP. He accused the government of overlooking parents' concerns and approving regulations that "go against parental authority, against the rights of parents."The concerns are not limited to Sinaloa.

Benigno Gomez, a father from Reynosa in the northern state of Tamaulipas, said he understood why education authorities wanted to reduce students' cellphone use but found it "a little difficult" to accept that children would not be allowed to have their devices during a potential emergency.The safety concerns are reflected in the figures. According to the civil society coalition Network for Children's Rights in Mexico (REDIM), one in 10 Mexicans aged between 0 and 17 were victims of crimes involving organised crime during the first half of this year.BUS SHOOTING DEEPENS FEARSAn incident in southern Sinaloa has further highlighted why some parents are reluctant to give up the ability to contact their children.On October 22, residents of Escuinapa woke to reports that a bus carrying more than a dozen high school students had been shot at by a man on a motorcycle.

The vehicle regularly travels through the small town, whose economy relies heavily on mango and shrimp production.A video recorded by one of the passengers later circulated on social media. It showed students crouching on the floor and hiding between the seats as the shooting unfolded.

At one point, a teenager could be heard asking another: "Do you have any credit (on your cellphone)?"The driver was injured by glass fragments from the shattered windows, but the students escaped injury.One mother said she immediately called her teenage daughter after learning about the attack. The girl had left early for high school in a car driven by her aunt."Just hearing my daughter's voice and knowing she was OK calmed me down," the woman said, as quoted by the Independent.She also questioned whether parents in Escuinapa would comply with the cellphone restrictions, fearing that violence could reach schools in the area."The safety of our children comes first," she said.MEXICO GOVERNMENT SAYS BAN WILL PROTECT CHILDRENDespite the concerns, Mexican authorities have focused on the potential damage caused by excessive cellphone use and exposure to digital platforms.

Addressing the Chamber of Deputies recently, Mexico's Secretary of Public Education, Mario Delgado, said the Sheinbaum administration wanted to "prevent addiction to digital platforms and the disorders they cause in minors."The government is also preparing separate regulations this month that will require digital platforms to remove posts containing hate speech, abuse, sexual violence, harassment, cyberbullying and other illegal content.The cellphone restrictions have received support from some parent organisations and researchers. Israel Sanchez, president of the National Union of Parents, described the decision as progress after years of efforts by the civil organisation, which represents hundreds of parents from public and private schools, most of them Catholic.However, Sanchez said the government would need to conduct awareness campaigns for parents and provide proper training to teachers to ensure the restrictions are implemented effectively.MEXICO JOINS GROWING LIST OF COUNTRIESMexico's decision follows a wider international push to restrict cellphone use in schools.

According to UNESCO data, 114 countries have already introduced such bans.In Europe, restrictions have gained momentum, particularly in France, which extended its cellphone ban to secondary schools in August. Similar controls have been introduced in several Latin American countries, including Ecuador, Brazil, Chile, Bolivia and Costa Rica.In the US, cellphone bans remain limited to certain states.- EndsWith inputs from agenices