Sweden returns to paper

Sweden is putting printed textbooks, quiet reading time and handwriting back at the center of many classrooms after years of heavy screen use. (government.se) The shift is not a blanket ban on technology, but a policy push from the national government and schools minister Lotta Edholm to reduce screen time and make sure pupils have physical books. Sweden’s government said in February 2024 that it was funding more reading and less screen use in schools. (government.se) A change in Sweden’s Education Act took effect on July 1, 2024, clarifying that pupils must have access to textbooks, other learning materials and learning tools. The government also said the Schools Inspectorate would review whether students actually have those books. (regeringen.se) Stockholm has backed that policy with money. The government said textbook grants totaled 685 million Swedish kronor in 2023, 658 million kronor in 2024, 755 million kronor in 2025, and 555 million kronor a year from 2026 onward. (government.se) The argument behind the shift is that screens can distract students and weaken reading habits if they are used too much or too early. Sweden’s government cited Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development findings in May 2024 saying 30% of students are disturbed by mobile phones during lessons. (regeringen.se) The reading data that helped drive the debate came before that. Sweden’s National Agency for Education said fourth graders scored 544 in the 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, down from 555 in 2016, even though Sweden still ranked near the top internationally. (skolverket.se) The government has also moved to scale back screens for the youngest children. In October 2023, it said it wanted to remove the preschool requirement for digital learning tools and make preschool education mainly screen-free, citing research and classroom experience favoring analog activities. (regeringen.se) Public-health guidance has reinforced that direction outside school as well. Sweden’s Public Health Agency published recommendations in September 2024 for a more balanced use of screens by children and teenagers, linking the issue to sleep, exercise and exposure to harmful content. (folkhalsomyndigheten.se) Not everyone in the education debate says paper should simply replace digital tools. The National Agency for Education still maintains guidance on digital competence in compulsory school, while the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s country report on Sweden says the challenge is uneven pedagogical use of digital tools across schools, not technology alone. (skolverket.se) (oecd.org) So the story moving around social platforms now is less a sudden national U-turn than a multi-year reset. Sweden has been rewriting rules, funding textbooks and narrowing screen use since 2023, with paper books now written more firmly back into school policy. (regeringen.se)