Sweden urges phone limits grade nine

Sweden on June 1 sharpened its campaign against children’s screen use by pairing parental guidance with a planned nationwide school phone ban through grade nine. The move combines two tracks the government has been building for months: public-health advice aimed at families and school legislation aimed at reducing distraction during the school day. The guidance tells families to keep devices from crowding out sleep, exercise and other activities, while the school proposal would require broader limits on pupils’ access to phones during class hours and beyond. Swedish ministers have framed both efforts as part of a wider push for more reading, less screen exposure and calmer classrooms. ### What exactly did Sweden tell parents to do? Sweden’s Public Health Agency says children and adolescents need support to use screens in a “safe and balanced” way. On its guidance page, the agency says screens should not take too much time from things that are important for children’s well-being, and it gives practical advice on sleep and daily routines. (folkhalsomyndigheten.se) The agency’s sleep guidance is specific: children should not use screens before it is time to sleep, and phones, tablets and similar devices should be left outside the bedroom overnight. The agency also says physical activity reduces the risk that children will feel unwell from screen use and that “all movement counts.” (folkhalsomyndigheten.se) ### Is this new advice or part of an older campaign? The Public Health Agency published its English-language recommendations for children’s and adolescents’ digital media use on Dec. 9, 2024. The recommendations cover children up to age 12 and adolescents aged 13 to 18, with younger-age guidance directed mainly to parents and older-age guidance addressed more directly to teenagers. (folkhalsomyndigheten.se) The Swedish government widened that effort in October 2025, when it said the agency would begin mailing a brochure on children’s and young people’s screen use to households. Social Affairs Minister Jakob Forssmed said then that children’s screen use was “one of our time’s greatest health challenges,” according to the government release. (folkhalsomyndigheten.se) ### What is the school phone ban Sweden is pursuing? A March 13, 2025 government inquiry proposed a national phone ban during the school day in compulsory school forms and after-school care, with mandatory collection of pupils’ mobile phones at the start of each school day. The inquiry also covered other electronic communication devices and said exceptions should be possible where special reasons exist. (regeringen.se) The Swedish government said on Jan. 28, 2026 that it intended to propose amendments to the Education Act to create a phone ban throughout the school day in primary school and equivalent school forms. In that release, the government said studies show Swedish pupils are distracted by digital tools in the classroom more than the OECD average. (regeringen.se) ### Which students would be covered? The proposal applies to the compulsory school forms, which in Sweden cover the years corresponding broadly to compulsory education through grade nine, as well as after-school care. The March 2025 inquiry describes the measure as a national ban in those compulsory school forms, with collection of phones and other covered devices at the beginning of each school day. (regeringen.se) The government has linked the measure to classroom order and safety. Education Minister Johan Pehrson said on March 13, 2025 that classrooms free from digital distractions give children better conditions to focus, learn to read and write, and build relationships with one another, while School Minister Lotta Edholm said a phone-free school was an important part of increasing safety and calm. (regeringen.se) ### When would the ban start? The March 2025 inquiry said the proposed legal changes should enter into force on July 1, 2026. The government said the proposals would then be processed further within the Government Offices, and a separate Jan. 28, 2026 release said the government intended to put forward Education Act changes on school calm and early support. (regeringen.se) Sweden’s next formal step is legislative: the government must turn the inquiry and its consultation process into a bill or other legal proposal. The consultation on the March 2025 memo has already been circulated, according to the government’s remiss page. (regeringen.se 1) (regeringen.se 2)