Sweden to Ban Mobile Phones in Schools This Fall While Expanding Digital-Skills Warnings
The centre-right coalition will require schools to keep phones out of classrooms from the next academic year. The policy continues a shift toward books and reduced screen time that began in 2023.
NPRSweden will ban mobile phones in schools beginning in the fall for the next academic year. The centre-right coalition government has pursued a policy since 2023 that prioritizes more reading time and less screen time, particularly among preschool students, by favoring books and other traditional learning tools.
Lawmaker Joar Forsell, chairperson of the Swedish parliament’s education committee, said officials have seen a decline in the general ability to read and write in Sweden, especially among younger students.
“We’re rolling the screens back because we believe that books and more traditional ways of learning are better for kids,” Forsell said. Alongside the ban, the government this year set aside 555 million Swedish krona ($59 million) as a grant for purchasing textbooks and teachers’ guides.
Sweden’s public health agency has provided advice to parents about being better role models on use of screens, including having the same screen-free zones at home as their kids.
At Malmö Borgarskola high school, mobiles are already banned during classes. Students place their handsets in a box nicknamed a “Mobile Hotel” and pick them up at the end of class. ” Deputy Headmaster Patrik Sander, 64, said students are now discouraged from using laptops in class unless teachers say so.
“We have pushed back, learning that writing with your hands and a pencil helps you remember,” Sander said. Starting last summer, Swedish children under 2 years old could use only nondigital materials such as books, and preschoolers face no requirement to use digital learning tools. A new curriculum to prioritize book-based learning is expected in 2028.
A law restricting use of mobile devices in schools in Finland came into effect last August. The Los Angeles Unified School District will ban screens until second grade, require daily caps for screen time per grade, ban YouTube and require an audit of all education technology contracts. Denmark looks set to implement a similar ban.
Swedish Edtech Industry said in a report that 90% of all future jobs are expected to require digital skills. Peter Carlsson, CEO of Malmö-based startup Imvi Labs, said not all screens disrupt learning and some software is “critical” to help children with learning or reading difficulties.
