Finland enacts law restricting smartphone use by elementary and junior high school students

The Finnish parliament has approved a law restricting the use of mobile devices, including smartphones, by elementary and secondary school students. The law is set to come into effect in August 2025, after the summer holidays.

Finland bans smartphones in schools | Yle News | Yle

Finland restricts use of mobile phones during school day | Schools | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/apr/30/finland-restricts-use-of-mobile-phones-during-school-day

This law does not completely ban the use of smartphones by elementary and junior high school students, but rather prohibits their use under certain conditions. For example, using smartphones during class is prohibited.

Students will need special permission from their teacher to use the phone to make phone calls, get academic support, or address health-related issues.

In addition, teachers have the authority to confiscate the device if it causes disruption at school.

In Denmark, mobile phone use has already been banned in all schools from early 2025. According to the Danish Welfare Board, while many digital platforms have a minimum age requirement, 94% of children in the country have accounts before they turn 13, and children aged 9 to 14 spend an average of three hours per day on TikTok and YouTube. Rasmus Meyer, chairman of the Danish Welfare Board, told the news site The Guardian, 'Measures are needed to prevent schools from being colonized by digital platforms,' and called on other European countries to take action.

Additionally, the Norwegian government has described tech companies as the enemy of young children's minds, and has tightened the minimum age for social media use to 15. France also banned the use of mobile phones on school grounds for primary and secondary school students in 2018, and is trialing a 'digital break' where children up to the age of 15 are given a day off from using mobile phones.

'Digital pause': France pilots school mobile phone ban
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240904-digital-pause-france-pilots-school-mobile-phone-ban