The competition, held simultaneously in Spanish and English, took place at the Aravaca International School in Madrid on January 26 and 27.
Madrid, January 30, 2024. – “Should the Government of Spain ban cell phones with Internet access for children under 14 years of age?“is the question on which more than 300 secondary and high school students from 37 schools throughout Spain have debated with their arguments in the Second Qualifying Tournament of the VIII Debate League CICAE – UCJC.
Before the start of each debate, the judges draw lots as to whether the team is debating for or against, so they must have all positions prepared, in order to amplify their knowledge of the subject and their tolerance of all ideas. This premise favors their critical thinking and respect for the diversity of ideas and perspectives that may arise on a controversial and topical issue such as the one that has been the protagonist of the second debate of the tournament.
On this occasion, the tournament has counted on Manuel Campo Vidal as ambassador. Journalist, sociologist and president of Next Educación, he has made television history as moderator of debates between presidential candidates in several general elections.
The journalist spoke at the opening ceremony, where he shared his professional experience and gave some advice to the students who participated in the tournament: “I think it is essential that, first of all, you should be aware that the debate must be honest, that you have to handle words well without trying to hurt anyone. Because a word has an extraordinary power. You fire a word and it is like a bullet, you have already fired and you cannot stop it. That word can hurt, wound or ridicule someone…”.
“It is not the one who speaks the most or the one who speaks the fastest who wins a debate, but the one who has the power to convince. Therefore, the word is very important, but so are the pauses. And, before speaking, you have to be informed and documented… For all these reasons, the debate will not be won by the one who speaks the most or the fastest, but by the one who convinces us all because he has prepared well beforehand. And, of course, non-verbal communication is very important,” he added.
Finally, he wanted to highlight the importance of this educational initiative: “I wish this were an initiative that all schools would take to raise the level of this country in the field of communication”.
“Should the Government of Spain ban mobiles with internet access for children under 14?”
With respect to the issue that was raised in the debate -“Should the Government of Spain ban mobiles with internet access for children under 14?”-Among many other arguments, the teams defending the ban on the use of cell phones with the Internet argued that it would encourage direct interaction among young people, as opposed to the social isolation caused by the inappropriate use of devices with Internet access. The negative consequences that excessive use can have, both physically and psychologically: addiction problems, bullying, stress, anxiety,… “Tik Tok can wait, your life can’t”.
On the other hand, those who opposed the ban on their use, mainly defended the benefits of mobile devices with Internet access for educational purposes: education versus prohibition, the mobile learningThe forbidden fruit is the most desirable fruit”.
After a very close final. Two teams from Brains La Moraleja School won in both Spanish and English. The titles for best speakers of the tournament went to Beatriz Alarcón Carpio of the “Waffles” team, from Colegio Europeo de Madrid, in the English category; and to Priscila González of the “Gremlins” team, from Colegio Brains, in the Spanish category.
A training project
All participants in the Debate League, students between the 3rd year of ESO and 2nd year of Bachillerato, receive training throughout the year from experts in competitive debate. In addition, webinars are organized during the course to deepen the topics to be discussed and bibliography is provided so that they can advance in their preparation.
The practice of debate among schoolchildren is aimed at developing public speaking skills, teamwork, as well as the search for truthful information, the analysis of evidence or the definition of arguments on the issue to be addressed.
The Debate League promoted by the Association of Private and Independent Schools – CICAE and the Camilo José Cela University, is joined each year by schools that are committed to give prominence to debate in their classrooms, and there are 37 schools throughout Spain that are part of the initiative.
