Korea research · South Korea
Bucheon pilots pausing phone screens at crosswalks outside elementary schools
In October 2024, Bucheon, near Seoul, said it would pilot a system at crosswalks outside two elementary schools that briefly pauses the screen of phones with its app installed when the walk signal turns green.
· 1 source
- Published
- October 2024
- Source
- Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province (Kiho Ilbo report)
- Covers
- Crosswalks outside Ilsin and Okgil Beodeul elementary schools
- Key figure
- Pilot, with expansion under review
On Oct. 15, 2024, the city of Bucheon said it would pilot a new system at crosswalks outside Ilsin and Okgil Beodeul elementary schools. When the pedestrian light turns green, phones with the app installed pick up a Bluetooth signal near the crosswalk and their screens pause briefly.
"스마트폰을 보며 고개를 숙이고 걷는 어린이들이 많아 위험한 상황이 자주 발생한다"
"Many children walk with their heads down looking at smartphones, and dangerous situations happen often." — a Bucheon city official (Kiho Ilbo, Oct. 15, 2024)
The city said it would review the results at the end of the year before deciding whether to expand.
What this shows
Fixed systems like this can help at one crosswalk. But children don't only walk outside their school — the walk to a tutoring center or a friend's house matters too. What happens on those routes is something families have to agree on together.
