The discourse on mobile phone use in the classroom. Content analysis in El País, La Vanguardia, and El Mundo (2010-2024)

Abstract

This article analyses the evolution of media discourses surrounding the use of mobile phones in educational contexts in Spain through a content analysis of 350 news articles published between 2010 and 2024 in El País, La Vanguardia, and El Mundo. The study combines a quantitative and qualitative approach and incorporates the analysis of interpretive frames to identify the predominant perspectives (positive, negative, or neutral), the risks and opportunities attributed to mobile phones, as well as the regulatory and pedagogical proposals associated with their use in classrooms. The results reveal a significant transformation of the discourse: from an initial focus on the educational potential of smartphones, particularly between 2010 and 2014, to a progressively alarmist and restrictive perspective from 2022 onward. This discursive shift is especially pronounced in La Vanguardia, which contains the highest volume of news articles and reflects the shift in Catalonia’s educational policy, moving from promoting to restricting mobile phone use. El País, in contrast, maintains a more balanced perspective, including frames that advocate for a critical, responsible, and educational use of technology. Finally, El Mundo adopts a predominantly negative approach throughout the entire period analysed, with little presence of neutral or positive views. The analysis confirms the convergence between political, media, and social agendas and shows how the media have contributed to legitimizing the prohibition of mobile phones in educational institutions. It concludes that this process reflects not only a dispute over technological uses but also a broader narrative about the deterioration of the educational system and the role the media play in its construction.