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New regulations limiting the use of mobile phones in schools across Finland took effect on Friday in preparation for the return of students after the summer break.
Finland, which has a longstanding reputation for high-quality education, has experienced a decline in its ranking in an OECD evaluation that assesses the proficiency of 15-year-olds in subjects such as mathematics, literacy, and natural sciences.
An update to the Basic Education Act was enacted in April, prohibiting students aged 7 to 16 from using mobile phones during classes. Under the new rules, students can only use phones and other mobile devices in class with the teacher’s consent for educational purposes or health-related reasons.
According to the Finnish public broadcaster Yle, a school in the eastern town of Varkaus will mandate that its approximately 700 students store their phones in bags or lockers throughout the school day, including during recess.
In the city of Tampere, located in western Finland, students are allowed to use their phones during breaks but only outside the school premises.
The Finnish National Agency for Education has advocated for even stricter regulations than those specified in the law, suggesting that mobile device usage be prohibited during mealtime and restricted during breaks.
In the most recent OECD assessment for 2022, 41 per cent of Finnish students indicated that digital resources were a distraction in all or most of their mathematics lessons, which is significantly higher than the OECD average of 31 per cent.
