{"id":163000,"date":"2025-08-15T11:13:36","date_gmt":"2025-08-15T11:13:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/parents-who-are-taking-their-children-to-schools-without-screens\/"},"modified":"2025-08-15T11:13:38","modified_gmt":"2025-08-15T11:13:38","slug":"parents-who-are-taking-their-children-to-schools-without-screens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/parents-who-are-taking-their-children-to-schools-without-screens\/","title":{"rendered":"Parents who are taking their children to schools without screens."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Carlos, who prefers to keep his real name private, takes his three children to the Colegio Madrid-Fundaci\u00f3n Santa Mar\u00eda<\/u><\/a>. This institution follows an educational model aligned with the philosophy of the Instituci\u00f3n de Libre Ense\u00f1anza<\/a>. Last year marked their first term at this private school located in an affluent area of the Chamart\u00edn district in Madrid, where they aim to significantly limit \u00a0screen usage\u00a0 until Compulsory Secondary Education (ESO). The family made the switch from a Catholic state school because their eldest daughter, gearing up for fourth grade, was required to study all subjects on a tablet instead of traditional textbooks.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving a ten-year-old stare at a screen for five or six hours a day is not healthy. It creates an addiction,\u201d Carlos asserts, firmly believing in the impact of screen time. \u201cAttending Colegio Madrid is a substantial financial investment. Though both of us work, we\u2019re not in a secure financial situation,\u201d he admits.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we need to act now. It\u2019s better to prevent addiction at this stage. Children grow up fast, and we can\u2019t correct issues when they\u2019re 15 because it might be too late,\u201d he emphasizes, underscoring that he is not an \u201cAmish<\/em> regarding technology\u201d since his family does engage with it in daily life.<\/p>\n

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Carlos explains that they used to pay around \u00a0600 or 700 euros\u00a0 monthly at their previous state school for all three children, including lunch and association fees. Now, they are shelling out \u00a01,700 euros\u00a0 without a meal plan\u2014monthly fees at Colegio Madrid range from \u00a0580 euros\u00a0 per child in early education to \u00a0876 euros\u00a0 in the second year of high school.<\/p>\n

If they opted for a public school, they would only need to cover lunchtime costs. In Madrid, the rate stands at 5.50 euros per student per day<\/u><\/a>, totaling roughly \u00a0300 euros\u00a0 monthly, along with AMPA fees\u2014usually between \u00a020 and 30 euros\u00a0 a year for each child\u2014and additional costs for extracurricular activities.<\/p>\n

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\n Every school is now accustomed to this scenario. (Unsplash)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

More parents, like Carlos, are worried about screen use in classrooms. Reports such as the one published by El Pa\u00eds<\/em><\/u><\/a> last May highlighted trends in the PISA report, showing that regions heavily utilizing technology in classrooms\u2014like the Basque Country, Navarra, and Catalonia\u2014have seen a decline in educational outcomes over the past decade.<\/p>\n

However, scientific consensus on the effects of screen time in education remains elusive. Regardless, various studies have surveyed children and adolescents across multiple countries without yielding definitive conclusions regarding the impact of digital resources on education.<\/p>\n

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A contrasting pair of studies presents a snapshot of this ongoing debate. One study published in 2023 by professors from the University of Valencia, highlighted in The Review of Educational Research<\/em>, concluded that reading comprehension suffers when students engage with texts on screens, particularly in primary school settings.<\/p>\n

In contrast, a research piece in The Lancet Regional Health<\/em> last April, studying 1,127 students across 30 English schools\u2014some where smartphones were banned\u2014found \u00a0no significant differences\u00a0 in mental well-being or emotional disorders between the groups.<\/p>\n

Despite the variability in findings, there is a clearer consensus among healthcare professionals regarding the mental health implications of excessive digital exposure for children and adolescents. A report released by the Spanish Pediatric Association (AEP) in late 2024 warned against the excessive use of screens in youth, linking it to sleep deprivation, changes in behavior, depression, and physical health issues like obesity.<\/p>\n

The AEP recommends restricting screen time for children aged 7-12 to less than one hour daily, including schoolwork, and advises zero screen usage for children under six.<\/p>\n

The Growing Demand for Screen-Free Schools<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As of the upcoming academic year, Carlos’s experience of switching schools should theoretically no longer occur in public or state-supported institutions in Madrid. A decree approved on July 23<\/u><\/a> mandates the elimination of \u00a0individual digital devices\u00a0 for students in early childhood and primary education across public institutions.<\/p>\n

This regulation specifies that teachers \u00a0cannot assign homework\u00a0 requiring screen use outside of school and restricts classroom digital device use to shared, pedagogical purposes only.<\/p>\n

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In the first stage of preschool (up to 3 years), screen usage will be avoided entirely; in the second stage (ages 3-6), shared screen time will be limited to \u00a0one hour per week\u00a0. In primary schools, first and second graders will only have one hour weekly, while third and fourth graders will have one and a half hours, and up to two hours weekly for the final two grades.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn recent years, most new families arriving with young children in preschool are actively seeking screen-free schools,\u201d explains Elena Fl\u00f3rez, director of Colegio Madrid, during an interview in late June while the Madrid decree was still being processed.<\/p>\n

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\n Elena Fl\u00f3rez, director of Colegio Madrid, with a group of students in music class. (Juan Calleja)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

At this school, children from families like Carlos’s attend\u2014where both parents work and the family lives primarily in neighborhoods like \u00a0Chamber\u00ed\u00a0, \u00a0Chamart\u00edn\u00a0, \u00a0Centro\u00a0, and \u00a0Retiro\u00a0. \u201cWe don’t typically have families with very high incomes; there may be some exceptions, but generally, they are families making a concerted effort because they believe in the project,\u201d Fl\u00f3rez states.<\/p>\n

With \u00a0900 students\u00a0 enrolled from preschool to high school, Colegio Madrid doesn’t use traditional textbooks. Instead, students create their own handwritten notebooks filled with notes, clippings, or drawings to reflect what their teachers cover in class. Fl\u00f3rez explains that this method encourages attention, organization, research, and critical thinking development.<\/p>\n

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However, the students are not completely screen-free. In preschool, it\u2019s zero screens\u2014no digital whiteboards are used. In primary school, the 22 iPads the school owns are only utilized twice a week for 15 minutes each session for Smart Tik, an application focusing on abstract mathematical concepts.<\/p>\n

Once students reach secondary school, they use the computer lab during technology classes and may watch educational films or documentaries in certain subjects. Furthermore, the use of mobile phones is \u00a0prohibited\u00a0 during school hours; if students bring them, they are deposited in bins upon arrival and returned at the end of the day.<\/p>\n

During our tour of the facilities, we visited a technology classroom filled with drones created by ESO students and several music rooms filled with instruments. The director points out how artistic subjects play a vital role in their educational model: \u201cThis is one reason why professionals from the film and theater industries send their children here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Increasingly Mobilized Parents<\/h2>\n

In the garden, secondary students rehearse romances they will perform publicly. As the school day nears its end, a young student carries a \u00a0tray of mobile phones\u00a0 to return them to their owners. \u201cSome first-year secondary students (12 years old) already have cell phones, but over the past couple of years, we\u2019ve noticed that students are generally arriving with fewer phones,\u201d Fl\u00f3rez notes.<\/p>\n

The director mentions that some students who commute alone to school carry basic phones without internet connectivity, like the early Nokia models, allowing parents to stay in touch.<\/p>\n

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\n Two children in the library of Colegio Madrid, a private educational institution in Chamart\u00edn. (Juan Calleja)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In 2023, a group of parents with children in fourth grade at this school created a WhatsApp group called ‘Minors and Internet.’ A mother, who prefers to remain anonymous, shares that they were concerned about the consequences of excessive mobile usage among adolescents and were anxious about the moment they would need to hand over their children’s \u00a0first smartphones\u00a0.<\/p>\n

A similar concern emerged among several families in Poblenou (Barcelona), who also began sharing their worries about smartphone impacts on their children through the popular messaging app. This led to the formation of the association Adolescencia Libre de M\u00f3viles<\/u><\/a>, active across Spain.<\/p>\n

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To date, around 200 families have joined the Colegio Madrid group. They have established a “family pact” aiming to delay giving their children smartphones until they are 12 years old. \u201cAnother thing is the second year; we\u2019ll see what happens,\u201d comments one mother. \u201cMost of us want to delay it until at least the age of 16, though some parents feel uncertain about achieving this.”<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s postpone it for as long as possible. Ultimately, we\u2019re giving a tool to a child who neurobiologically lacks the capability to self-manage,\u201d argues Mar\u00eda Salmer\u00f3n, coordinator of the AEP’s Digital Health program<\/a>, responsible for creating guidelines for screen usage in children and adolescents.<\/p>\n

<pSalmer\u00f3n continues, \u201cThe prefrontal cortex [the brain region involved in decision-making and emotional regulation] typically matures by age 25. Yet, we expect children to use technology responsibly, manage their digital identities, and differentiate between real and fake information, despite lacking the cognitive maturity to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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\n Fully screen-free classrooms have typically been a “privilege” not accessible to all families. (Unsplash)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Before we conclude our discussion, we ask Elena Fl\u00f3rez if she has noticed any differences between students today compared to the pre-smartphone era: \u201cIt\u2019s harder to keep a group focused for 30 minutes. Attention spans are shorter, and you must diversify activities to engage them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The experienced educator, with \u00a050 years\u00a0 of professional experience, acknowledges that even students at Colegio Madrid face challenges related to mobile addiction and expresses concern about the influence of social media. \u201cThey have complicated matters significantly for educators and parents.\u201d Recently, she\u2019s observed a \u201creturn of machismo online\u201d mirrored in messages some of her female students encounter.<\/p>\n

Waldorf Communities Against Excessive Use<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Several years ago, media outlets around the world highlighted how leaders and founders from Silicon Valley tech companies favored Waldorf schools for their children\u2014schools that largely avoid screen exposure. In Las Rozas, Madrid, about 40 kilometers from Colegio Madrid, you can find the Escuela Libre Micael<\/u><\/a>\u2014Spain\u2019s first Waldorf school, now boasting over 77 centers throughout the country.<\/p>\n

Established in 1975 by a group of parents and educators, this school embraces an educational methodology initiated in 1919 in Germany by philosopher Rudolf Steiner. Besides minimal screen usage throughout its various stages, this approach focuses on the \u00a0developmental stages of each child\u00a0, promoting autonomy in learning, nurturing artistic sensibilities, social expression, and fostering a connection with nature.<\/p>\n

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This school has about \u00a0450 students\u00a0 enrolled through high school, sharing educational principles with Colegio Madrid. Students create their notebooks, generally avoid exposure to screens, and those who possess phones store them in a box upon arrival, only retrieving them at the end of the day.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn first-year secondary, we have projectors available as teachers may occasionally show films or documentaries. From third year onward, they go to the computer lab to learn programming but without internet access, except for research purposes. At the high school level, students sometimes use their phones for specific subjects when necessary,\u201d explains Alfredo S\u00e1nchez, the director and an alumnus of the school.<\/p>\n

As students move between classrooms, they’re carrying their wooden chairs and desks to the next year’s class. Walls filled with drawings, filing cabinets, and \u00a0lots of paperwork\u00a0 characterize the primary education environment.<\/p>\n

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\n Alfredo S\u00e1nchez, director of Escuela Libre Micael, in one of the high school classrooms. (Juan Calleja)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Through the windows of one classroom, you can see a large garden filled with greenery and big trees, while there\u2019s also a vegetable garden. \u201cChildren need to observe their environment, and nature is a tremendous learning source. We want to experience it as purely as possible,\u201d explains S\u00e1nchez.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere, we recognize that society is as it is and that children will encounter stressors inappropriate for their age. That\u2019s why we try to preserve environments suitable for each developmental stage as much as possible,\u201d he adds. S\u00e1nchez observes that they notice children returning on Mondays appearing more agitated or distracted depending on their weekend experiences, from spending time in shopping malls to being exposed to screens.<\/p>\n

Like Fl\u00f3rez, S\u00e1nchez finds that some adolescents demonstrate \u00a0traumatic behaviors\u00a0, likely linked to inappropriate online content accessible outside school. Nevertheless, he proudly shares that by fostering critical thinking, he has had students openly acknowledge that prolonged time on platforms like Instagram or TikTok leaves them feeling \u201cunsettled\u201d or somewhat depressed.<\/p>\n

“It Changed Our Lives”<\/h2>\n

S\u00e1nchez shares with Fl\u00f3rez the observation that more families are arriving seeking not only a unique educational approach but also an environment for raising their children screen-free \u201cwith the support of like-minded parents.\u201d These families come from varied economic backgrounds: some can afford to pay ten times more than the school fee, while others make genuine sacrifices to enroll their children.<\/p>\n

Marta Mach\u00edn is one of the mothers who sends her two children to the school directed by S\u00e1nchez. During pandemic months, she had to rely on one of the scholarships offered by the Waldorf institution to assist families experiencing economic hardship. \u201cWe were left with nothing,\u201d she shares, sitting at a commercial venue in Las Rozas. She and her husband are self-employed photographers.<\/p>\n

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Today, their situation is stable: \u201cWe pay around \u00a01,000 euros\u00a0 monthly for both kids [the tuition fees are comparable to those of Colegio Madrid], but they don\u2019t stay for lunch,\u201d she notes, explaining how this expense prevents them from saving for a home, forces them to cut back on vacations, and limits their ability to replace their car. Yet she acknowledges that, similar to many families, they are \u201cwell above the average\u201d economically when it comes to educational expenses.<\/p>\n

They live in a rental property near Las Matas, just a short drive from the school they found years ago when their eldest child\u2014now 11\u2014was unhappy in his public school in Majadahonda after second grade.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I came to pick him up, they were watching YouTube videos on a digital whiteboard and were given chocolate cookies. That was their daily routine,\u201d she reflects. \u201cI really didn\u2019t like the screen scenario. I could see it wasn\u2019t benefiting him,\u201d she continues, explaining the moment she realized her son \u201cwas not himself\u201d: \u201cWhen the teachers showed us a video from the year, I felt like I was looking at a different person. He was quieter, timid\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

The sensitivity of her son’s teacher was also lacking, and she was discontent with a strictly worksheet-based teaching approach. They decided to look for schools offering alternative pedagogies, seeking an environment where he could be more \u00a0free\u00a0, leading them to discover the \u00a0Escuela Libre Micael\u00a0. Years later, they see their son thriving and growing in a way that nurtures his authentic self, \u201cHe has become someone who confidently engages with others and goes everywhere,\u201d they testify.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe Waldorf community has changed our lives,\u201d she maintains. Besides avoiding screens, the choice of educational model notably influenced their decision to relocate: \u201cI believe the absence of screens in education has led to a simpler lifestyle, reducing stimuli and increasing our contact with nature.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, like Carlos, the father sending his children to Colegio Madrid, she is not against technology per se. Instead, she advocates for a sensible and balanced approach that considers developmental appropriateness. Her children, aged eight and an older son, have access to two old iPads devoid of internet browsing capability, online gaming apps, or YouTube. They use them occasionally for podcasts about history, music, or stories. Whenever they request her phone to send messages, she accommodates them.<\/p>\n

When asked about their child’s next transition into a more conventional educational setting, she admits to feeling aware that they are \u201cin a bubble that needs to expand, especially in preparation for university.\u201d \u201cBut not the \u00a0full-on bombardment\u00a0 of high school, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

In summary, the journey through educational funding and screen exposure demonstrates the evolving parental sentiments around student engagement in learning. With new regulations and ongoing discussions regarding the role of technology in education, families in Spain find themselves at a pivotal crossroads.<\/p>\n


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General News – 2<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Carlos, who prefers to keep his real name private, takes his three children to the Colegio Madrid-Fundaci\u00f3n Santa Mar\u00eda. This institution follows an educational model aligned with the philosophy of the Instituci\u00f3n de Libre Ense\u00f1anza. Last year marked their first term at this private school located in an affluent area of the Chamart\u00edn district in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":163001,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36399],"tags":[136,342,209,17591],"class_list":["post-163000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-children","tag-parents","tag-schools","tag-screens"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163000","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=163000"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163000\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/163001"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=163000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=163000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=163000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}