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There have been previous moves to ban the use of mobile phones in schools in the Philippines, but contrary to claims there has never been a full-scale nationwide implementation.
Claim: From April 15, 2026, the use of mobile phones will be prohibited nationwide.
Rating: False
Why we fact-checked this: The video containing this claim was posted on March 30th and, at the time of writing, has already received 1.9 million views, 16,400 reactions, 3,800 shares, and 3,300 comments.
A video is shown of a news reporter saying:“Paalala sa rahat banned na o bawal na ang mobile phones in pagamit nito sa buon bansa simula on April 15. Ang lalabag ay mei murta in pweden makron.”
(We would like to remind everyone that from April 15th there will be a nationwide ban on mobile phones and their use. Violators will be subject to fines and possible jail time.)
Most of the comments expressed concern about the legitimacy of the supposed report. Others were confused about how the ban would be enforced and how they could contact relatives once the ban took effect.
fact: Contrary to this claim, there has been no official announcement from the government that mobile phone use will be banned from April 15th. The video has been flagged as being generated by artificial intelligence (AI) by various detection tools.
The AI video detector Hive Moderation flagged the video as having a 65.5% chance of being generated by AI. Truth Scan also detected AI in the same video 69% of the time.
This video screenshot was flagged by AI image detector Sight Engine as 82% likely AI-generated. Undetectable AI said in its analysis that the photo was likely generated by AI and has only a 31% chance of being authentic.
No use of mobile phones: In the Philippines, there have been moves to ban the use of mobile phones, but this has been limited to schools, and there has been no nationwide movement yet.
In 2024, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, former chairman of the Senate Basic Education Committee, introduced a bill that would ban students and teachers from using cell phones during school hours. The bill remains pending in legislative committee.
A Pulse Asia survey commissioned by Gatchalian in 2024 showed that 76% of Filipinos support banning mobile devices in classrooms.
In 2025, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the ministry supports the integration of electronic devices in learning while encouraging the use of gadgets during school hours.
Meanwhile, other countries have implemented bans on the use of phones in schools amid concerns about reduced attention spans in the classroom and damage to social media.
Previous fact checks: Rappler previously debunked similar claims that AI-generated videos spread false claims of a purported government-imposed ban.
– Angelie Kay Abelinde/Rappler.com
Angelee Kaye Abelinde is a student journalist based in Naga City and a graduate of Rappler’s Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship 2024.
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