STOCKHOLM, Sweden: Sweden is set to ban mobile phones in all primary schools nationwide from the start of the next school year under legislation presented by the government on Wednesday, German Press Agency (dpa) reported.
“Students must hand in their mobile phones at the beginning of the school day and get them back at the end,” Swedish Education Minister, Simona Mohamsson, said on Wednesday.
In Sweden, primary education runs through ninth grade.
The ban, which would take effect from August 1, also applies to after-school programmes.
Mobile phones have become an integral part of students’ lives, Mohamsson acknowledged.
But she cautioned: “Smartphones and social media are also places where abuse and bullying occur.”
The ban, she added, is expected to help improve learning outcomes and contribute to better mental health among children.
According to a 2024 study by Sweden’s public health authority and media authority, students in grades seven to nine spend almost seven hours a day in front of screens, not including time spent at school.
In practice, mobile phone bans are already in place at four out of five Swedish schools, according to the TT news agency, as principals already have the authority to impose such rules themselves.
Mohamsson said this was not sufficient.
Several European countries, including France and the Netherlands, have long enforced mobile phone bans in classrooms. Italy even prohibits smartphone use in higher grades. – BERNAMA-dpa