Sweden bans phones in schools
29 August, 2026
From 1 September, Swedish school students will no longer be able to use mobile phones in schools. Instead, children will be encouraged to make notes with pens and paper and to return to textbook learning.
The Swedish government has provided over 2 billion krona (approximately AUD$295 million) for textbooks and resources in schools and a new textbook-based curriculum, expected to be launched in 2028, is being developed.
‘We're trying, actually, to get rid of screens as much as possible,’ said education spokesperson Joar Forsell.
The decision to ban mobile phones comes following research showing that children process information less effectively from screen learning and that heavy use of screens can adversely affect their brains. Further, surveys show that children whose education is heavily screen-based perform less well academically, Forsell said.
Earlier this year, Sweden’s Public Health Agency issued recommendations about screen use for parents:
· ‘Create good screen habits for yourself. They can affect your child's screen habits.
· ‘Put your mobile phone away when you are with your child. Only use it if you need to, or when you use it together.
· ‘Protect and respect your child online. Think before you post pictures or videos.’
‘Your screen use affects your child’, the recommendations said and pointed out the effects of parents’ screen use on children.
‘Research shows that parents' screen use can negatively affect contact with the child and make it more difficult to see what the child needs,’ the recommendations say and ‘Studies have shown that children are more likely to cry or scream more, and smile or laugh less, when the parent is busy with their mobile phone.’
While many Australian states have imposed mobile phone bans in schools, these have not necessarily been enforced and children continue to use mobile phones regularly in some schools.
https://www.npr.org/2026/06/09/g-s1-126967/sweden-set-to-ban-mobile-phones-in-schools
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly0vk77vdko