Translated with AI
A nationwide ban on mobile phone use in schools and extracurricular activities will come into effect in Sweden in the fall of 2026, The Guardian reported on Tuesday.
Under the new rules, phones will be confiscated from students at the start of the school day and stored until the end. The measure will affect children aged seven to 16 and is part of a larger package of reforms aimed at improving the education system.
"What we are presenting today is a historic public investment in schools and the most ambitious reform programme in 30 years," said Sweden's Minister of Education and Schools, Simone Mohamsson.
The government will allocate 95 million crowns (more than $10 million) in 2026 and almost 100 million crowns ($11 million) in 2027 to implement the ban.
It is noted that phones are still confiscated in most Swedish schools, but students have found ways to circumvent the restrictions by handing in counterfeit devices or claiming to have forgotten their phones at home.
Other European countries have recently taken similar measures. Denmark plans to ban smartphones for schoolchildren under 13. Norway has set the minimum age for social media use at 15. In the Netherlands, a national recommendation restricting smartphone use in educational institutions has been in effect since January 2024.
Research conducted in the Netherlands found that after the ban was introduced, students found it easier to concentrate, and almost a third of schools reported improved academic performance.
