Overview
- Sweden’s government submitted a draft law to require students up to ninth grade to hand in phones each school day from August 1, 2026, with exceptions for instructional or medical needs and a planned evaluation after the first year.
- Hesse’s statewide ban on private use of smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches since the 2025/26 school year is credited by a headteacher and the education ministry with clearer rules and calmer classrooms.
- Hesse’s student representatives argue the ban has not reduced overall smartphone use or harmful media consumption, calling for stronger media education alongside restrictions.
- Austria will run a voluntary national “phone-free” experiment from March 4–24 for classes from grade 5 upward, with registration via a dedicated website after a school pilot reported withdrawal-like symptoms among some pupils.
- Germany’s CDU Frauen-Union proposes nationwide “digital protection zones” with a federal rule against private device use through grade 10 and a student ID/dashboard to unify data across states.