Spain's Andalusia clamps down on mobiles, vapes and energy drinks for teens
Andalusia's regional government has announced the changes as part of a broader action plan to combat addiction problems among children and teenagers, including limiting mobile phone use in the classrooms.
The President of Andalusia, Juanma Moreno, has announced that the regional government will clamp down on the use of mobile phones in classrooms and ban the sale of energy drinks and vapes to young people. The moves will form part of a broader strategy to combat addiction problems among youngsters in the southern region from 2024.
Moreno outlined the action plan in a speech during the State of the Community debate in the regional Parliament.
Tweeting about the action plan, Moreno said: "Andalucía will limit the use of mobile devices in Andalusian classrooms. And it will prohibit the sale of energy drinks and vaping devices to minors. We are responding to the concerns of many families and protecting the health of children and teenagers."
🔴 #Andalucía limitará el uso de los dispositivos móviles en las aulas andaluzas.
Y prohibirá la venta de bebidas energéticas y vapeadores a los menores de edad.
Respondemos a la preocupación de muchas familias y protegemos la salud de niños y adolescentes.#DebateAND23 pic.twitter.com/cRQOKSTxQm
— Juanma Moreno (@JuanMa_Moreno) November 29, 2023
Mobile phones
Restrictions on mobile phones in the classroom come on the back of proposals made by a working group in the Andalusian legislature that aims to limit children's access to pornography, something that is increasingly becoming a problem not only in Andalusia but across the country.
Spanish minors are accessing explicit pornographic content at an alarmingly early age, even between 9 and 11 years old, according to the latest studies. It is hoped that clamping down on the use of mobiles in schools will go some way in combating this problem.
Andalusia follows other regions in Spain that have limited or banned mobile phones in the classroom. Castilla-La Mancha was the first to ban the use of mobile phones in schools, back in 2014, followed by Galicia and Madrid. In Catalonia, thousands of parents have rallied together to try and ban smartphones for kids under 16, as well as petitioning local governments and education centres to prohibit them in classrooms.
READ ALSO: Growing calls for Spain to ban mobiles for under-16s
Electric vapes and energy drinks
The Andalusian government is also committed to drawing up a plan to tackle addiction among children and teenagers in the region, and from 2024 will also begin looking at addictions energy drinks and vapes, the sale of which will be banned in the region for young people.
The Xunta de Galicia was the first to ban the sale of energy drinks, banning the high-sugar drinks that have been shown to be harmful to children and are not recommended by the Spanish Association of Paediatrics or the Ministry of Health.
Andalusia joins a number of other regional governments in Spain that are also studying how to better regulate the sale of energy drinks, including Aragon, the Balearic Islands, Castile-La Mancha, Navarre, the Basque Country, the Valencian Community, and Castilla y León.
In Galicia, the Xunta presented a draft law that in effect classifies taurine-based drinks by brands such as Red Bull and Monster in the same category as alcohol, illegal for those who are under age in Spain.
READ ALSO: Spain’s Galicia to ban minors from drinking energy drinks
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The President of Andalusia, Juanma Moreno, has announced that the regional government will clamp down on the use of mobile phones in classrooms and ban the sale of energy drinks and vapes to young people. The moves will form part of a broader strategy to combat addiction problems among youngsters in the southern region from 2024.
Moreno outlined the action plan in a speech during the State of the Community debate in the regional Parliament.
Tweeting about the action plan, Moreno said: "Andalucía will limit the use of mobile devices in Andalusian classrooms. And it will prohibit the sale of energy drinks and vaping devices to minors. We are responding to the concerns of many families and protecting the health of children and teenagers."
🔴 #Andalucía limitará el uso de los dispositivos móviles en las aulas andaluzas.
— Juanma Moreno (@JuanMa_Moreno) November 29, 2023
Y prohibirá la venta de bebidas energéticas y vapeadores a los menores de edad.
Respondemos a la preocupación de muchas familias y protegemos la salud de niños y adolescentes.#DebateAND23 pic.twitter.com/cRQOKSTxQm
Mobile phones
Restrictions on mobile phones in the classroom come on the back of proposals made by a working group in the Andalusian legislature that aims to limit children's access to pornography, something that is increasingly becoming a problem not only in Andalusia but across the country.
Spanish minors are accessing explicit pornographic content at an alarmingly early age, even between 9 and 11 years old, according to the latest studies. It is hoped that clamping down on the use of mobiles in schools will go some way in combating this problem.
Andalusia follows other regions in Spain that have limited or banned mobile phones in the classroom. Castilla-La Mancha was the first to ban the use of mobile phones in schools, back in 2014, followed by Galicia and Madrid. In Catalonia, thousands of parents have rallied together to try and ban smartphones for kids under 16, as well as petitioning local governments and education centres to prohibit them in classrooms.
READ ALSO: Growing calls for Spain to ban mobiles for under-16s
Electric vapes and energy drinks
The Andalusian government is also committed to drawing up a plan to tackle addiction among children and teenagers in the region, and from 2024 will also begin looking at addictions energy drinks and vapes, the sale of which will be banned in the region for young people.
The Xunta de Galicia was the first to ban the sale of energy drinks, banning the high-sugar drinks that have been shown to be harmful to children and are not recommended by the Spanish Association of Paediatrics or the Ministry of Health.
Andalusia joins a number of other regional governments in Spain that are also studying how to better regulate the sale of energy drinks, including Aragon, the Balearic Islands, Castile-La Mancha, Navarre, the Basque Country, the Valencian Community, and Castilla y León.
In Galicia, the Xunta presented a draft law that in effect classifies taurine-based drinks by brands such as Red Bull and Monster in the same category as alcohol, illegal for those who are under age in Spain.
READ ALSO: Spain’s Galicia to ban minors from drinking energy drinks
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