Chinese province bans mobile homework to protect students’ eyesight

An Eastern province in China moved to ban teachers from using mobile apps as a tool for students to do their homework.

This measure is aimed at curtailing the growing incidences of poor eyesight among students, which is partly blamed on their excessive screen time.

The province of Zhejiang issued a draft regulation a week ago and is said to be seeking public comments. Other provinces in China are also seeking to implement similar measures.

Aside from banning app-based homework, the regulation also seeks to limit the usage of electronic devices in classes for up to 30% of total teaching time.

It encourages teachers to include more paper-based work in the class and that homework should be done by hand.

According to a report by The Telegraph, the regulation also restricts students from bringing electronic devices to school without authoritative permission, minimizes the amount of homework, and increases time for breaks, sports, and extracurricular activities.

Many teachers in China are reliant on apps such as WeChat and QQ. They photograph the assignment and message it to parents. Because of this, students have to look at the phone screen in order to complete their homework.

According to a report by the AP news, myopia in China is at 31%.