Abstract:
Young people’s use of mobile phones is expanding exponentially across Africa. Its
transformative potential is exciting, but findings presented in this paper indicate how the downside of
mobile phone use in African schools is becoming increasingly apparent. Drawing on mixed-methods
field research in 24 sites across Ghana, Malawi and South Africa and associated discussions with
educational institutions, public policy makers and network providers, we examine the current state of
play and offer suggestions towards a more satisfactory alignment of practice and policy which promotes
the more positive aspects of phone use in educational contexts and militates against more damaging
ones.
