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Sweden plans to ban mobile phones in primary and middle schools to ensure children can focus on learning in the classroom, the government said on Wednesday.
The ban would mean that pupils in classes up to grade nine, or aged 15-16, would hand in their phones in the morning and get them back at the end of the school day.
“Studies show that Swedish students are distracted by digital tools in the classroom to a greater extent than students in the OECD on average,” the government said in a statement.
Around 80 per cent of Swedish primary and middle schools already have bans on mobile phones in the classroom, introduced at the discretion of principals, according to the Swedish news agency TT.
But Education Minister Simona Mohamsson told a press conference that a nationwide ban was needed to ensure that all schools were mobile-free zones. She said the ban could also “help many parents in their struggle at home” to reduce screen time.
Mohamsson said data showed that Swedish middle school students spend an average of almost seven hours a day on screens, not including time spent on screens during school hours.
If adopted by parliament, the ban would go into force in time for the start of the autumn term in August 2026, and would also apply to after-school care facilities.
The Scandinavian country launched a national “digitalisation” strategy for nursery, primary and middle schools in 2017 that saw tablets and laptops replace many textbooks and handwriting.
