Sweden enacts national smartphone ban

Sweden said on June 1 that it had written a national smartphone ban for schools into the Education Act and paired it with new advice for parents to reduce children’s screen use. The school restriction applies across compulsory education through grade nine, covering students roughly up to ages 15 or 16, according to Swedish legislative and government material. The Public Health Agency of Sweden also urged parents to put away their own phones around children and to keep phones, tablets and computers out of children’s bedrooms at night. ### What exactly did Sweden change? Sweden’s legislature has published the measure as “a national mobile phone ban in compulsory school forms and school-age educare,” a legal package that covers the mandatory school years. The measure was described in legislative material as applying to the compulsory school system through grade nine and to after-school care tied to those grades. (riksdagen.se) The Swedish government has framed the move as part of a broader push for “more reading time and less screen time” in schools. In a government policy update, ministers said they wanted a greater focus on printed books, staffed school libraries and reduced digital distraction in classrooms. ### What are parents being told to do at home? The Public Health Agency of Sweden said parents should create phone-free time and spaces at home and avoid using their own phones while spending time with children. (riksdagen.se) The agency’s recommendations also say children should avoid digital devices before bedtime and that phones, tablets and computers should be kept outside bedrooms overnight. (government.se) The agency’s published guidance, released in late 2024 and cited again in current coverage, is aimed mainly at parents and other adults in children’s daily lives. Sweden’s health authorities said the recommendations were based on research about digital media use and its effects on children and adolescents. (folkhalsomyndigheten.se) ### How broad is the school ban? The Swedish measure covers students up to grade nine, which current reporting described as roughly ages 15 to 16. A separate Swedish schools report on digital devices in school, published in 2026, shows the government has been reviewing device use during the school day alongside broader concerns about children’s exposure in digital environments. (folkhalsomyndigheten.se) Government and legislative documents do not present the change as a narrow classroom rule for only older students. The legal framing covers the compulsory school years nationally, making it a system-wide restriction rather than a district-by-district policy. ### Why is this drawing attention outside Sweden? New York Governor Kathy Hochul said on June 1 that she was open to limiting screen time for younger students in schools, citing what she described as the success of New York’s smartphone ban. (vuink.com) Gothamist reported that Hochul said she had heard concerns from parents and educators, especially about early elementary students using individual laptops and iPads. (riksdagen.se) The Swedish move has also drawn notice because it combines two fronts at once: a national school restriction and explicit household guidance for parents. That combination places Sweden among governments using both education law and public-health advice to address screen use by children. This is an inference based on the paired school and health measures published by Swedish authorities and reported this week. (gothamist.com) ### What happens next? The Swedish school ban is due to take effect at the start of the 2026 school year, according to current reporting on the measure. In New York, Hochul has not announced a formal new proposal on classroom screen limits, but her June 1 comments put the issue in play as U.S. officials debate whether restrictions should extend beyond phones to school-issued devices. (vuink.com) (riksdagen.se)