Volleyball, basketball, ping pong, dancing rehearsals or simple chats.

Dozens of teens are rediscovering how to reconnect to the real world after a school in Santiago, Chile, implemented a pioneering program in the country that blocks cell phones signals.

Now, instead of compulsively scrolling through their Instagram feeds or sharing choreographed TikTok dances, students spend time at the library, the café or along the several courts of Lo Barnechea Bicentenario school, located in the wealthy district of Lo Barnechea in northern Santiago.

On a recent cold, sunny day at the end of winter in Chile, dozens of students patiently lined up before putting their smartphones inside a black case designed to jam signal detection through a blocking magnet that only can be deactivated by the school’s inspectors.

They are still able to keep their devices, but are only allowed to text, call or scroll again after school is over.

"After a month and a half, we have more focused students.” the school’s principal, Humberto Garrido, told The Associated Press.

The program — the first ever put in place in Chile and one of the first in South America — was implemented last month, a bid by the Lo Barnechea mayor’s office to address student well-being in times of hyperconnectivity and to help them rediscover real-world connections.

For now, the initiative is being tested only at Lo Barnechea Bicentenario school and applies to eighth-grade students, ages 13 or 14.

However, the measure will soon be extended to all grades and gradually implemented in other district schools over the next year.

According to Garrido, Lo Barnechea Bicentenario is the first school in Chile and one of the pioneers in South America to adopt this method, inspired by some successful examples of educational institutions in the United States and as efforts grow in the region to regulate the use of smartphones.

The first few days of the digital detox demanded some adaptation, but just a few weeks after its launch, the program has been well received by students, teachers and parents.

“When we had the cell phone in the box, I felt anxious about handing it over, so I didn't hand it over because if it broke, I would lose it. Something would happen to it. That's why I feel more comfortable with the cases now, because I have it, I take care of it, and it's mine.” said 13-year-old student Francisca Susarte.

The most recent international study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development that evaluates student skills in reading, math and science showed that Chile led educational indicators in Latin America but still falls short of the international average.

In the OECD's 2023 assessment, more than half of Chilean students reported being distracted when using digital devices, which exceeds the average.

The mayor of Lo Barnechea, Felipe Alessandri, highlighted that Chilean national exams have also revealed serious deficiencies among the country’s students in subjects such as language, math and critical thinking. The situation, he said, worsened with remote learning during the coronavirus pandemic.

"We see six- and seven-year-old children with phones who are constantly hyperconnected, receiving stimuli that are not always appropriate for their age. And I think they realized that they were no longer interacting.” Alessandri told the AP.

A 2021 study by researchers at King’s College in the U.K. found that young people who considered themselves addicted to their cell phones were twice as likely to report symptoms of anxiety and three times as likely to suffer from depression than those who weren’t.

“It must be clear that these devices have been designed to be addictive, and the sooner I start, the longer I will have my customer captive for life. said educator Carolina Pérez, author of the book “Kidnapped by the screens.”

Last month, the Chilean Senate's education committee endorsed a bill seeking to prohibit and regulate the use of digital devices in educational establishments across the country. Following its approval by the committee, the initiative must now be discussed and put to a vote by senators.

AP Video shot by Mauricio Cuevas