School Phone Bans in Europe: Which Countries Ban Phones in School (2026)
Sweden, Poland, France, Portugal, Belgium, Austria, Greece, Hungary and Italy ban or restrict phones in school by law or national rule. Every country, as of 2026.
Muhammad Shahzeb·
Published
·9 min read
The short answer
As of October 2026, Sweden (from autumn 2026), Poland (from September 2026), France (now up to lycée), Portugal (years 1-9), both Belgian communities, Austria, Greece, Hungary and Italy ban or tightly restrict phones in school by law or national rule. Finland bans them in lessons, Latvia up to grade 9, and the Netherlands, Spain, Ireland and Norway use national guidance. Denmark and Czechia have no national rule.
Phones in school went from a school-by-school choice to national law in much of Europe in two years. This page lists every country where the rule could be confirmed on an official page, as of 16 October 2026.
The short version
- National law or national rule: Sweden, Poland, France, Portugal, Belgium (both communities), Austria, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Finland (in lessons).
- National guidance: the Netherlands, Spain, Ireland and Norway.
- Decided regionally: Germany (by Land) and Switzerland (by canton).
- No national rule: Denmark (bill lapsed), Czechia (proposed for 2027) and Lithuania (each school must set its own rules).
Every country and region
| Country or region | Type | Rule | Who it covers | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | Law | Use of a phone or any electronic communications terminal by pupils banned in all écoles, collèges and lycées and during teaching activities outside the premises; | Maternelle to lycée (approx. ages 3-18); before 2026 the mandatory ban covered écoles and collèges only (ages 3-15) | 2018-09 (écoles, collèges); rentrée 2025 'Portable en pause' in all collèges; rentrée 2026 (Sept 2026) extended to lycées |
| Netherlands | National guidance | Non-educational use of mobile phones, tablets and smartwatches not allowed in the classroom; exceptions for lesson content (e.g. media literacy) and for pupils who need the device for medical reasons or a disability. | Secondary (voortgezet onderwijs) from 1 Jan 2024; primary and (secondary) special education from school year 2024-25 | 2024-01-01 (secondary); school year 2024-2025 (primary, special education) |
| Italy | National rule | Smartphone use banned during school hours, including for teaching purposes; exceptions where provided in a PEI/PDP (disability, specific learning disorders), justified personal needs, and ICT/telecom technical-school tracks where strictly needed for teaching. | Primo ciclo (infanzia, primaria, secondaria di I grado, ages ~3-14) from 2024/25; secondo ciclo (upper secondary, ages ~14-19) from 2025/26 | School year 2024/2025 (primo ciclo); school year 2025/2026 (secondo ciclo) |
| Spain | National guidance | Zero phone use in Infantil and Primaria; in Secundaria, Bachillerato and FP only for teaching activities when the teacher decides; exceptions for exceptional circumstances. Regions implement via their own rules. | Infantil + Primaria (ages 3-12): zero use; ESO/Bachillerato/FP (12-18): teacher-directed use only | 2024-01-31 (national proposal); regional rules from 2024 onwards |
| Spain (Extremadura) | Regional rules only | Use and display of personal electronic devices not permitted during the whole school day, incl. recess, complementary/extracurricular activities, morning care, canteen and school transport; | All publicly funded non-university schools | 2024-03-01 (page dated 29 Feb 2024: in force 'from this Friday') |
| Portugal | Law | Pupils may not use internet-connected mobile devices (phones, tablets) anywhere on school premises during opening hours, including non-teaching periods; | 1.º and 2.º ciclos do ensino básico (years 1-6, ages ~6-12) | 2025-08-15 (in force); school year 2025/2026 |
| Portugal (3rd cycle extension) | Law | Same whole-day, whole-premises ban extended to 3.º ciclo pupils; adds an exception for boarding pupils in non-teaching periods. School internal rules must be adapted by 1 Jan 2027. | 1.º, 2.º and 3.º ciclos do ensino básico (years 1-9, ages ~6-15) | 2026-09-04 (in force day after publication); school rules adapted by 2027-01-01 |
| Belgium (Flemish Community) | Law | Ban on using 'slimme apparaten' (smartphones, smartwatches etc.) during the whole period of normal presence at school (from before first lesson to end of last lesson, incl. breaks) in primary and secondary grades 1-2; | Basisonderwijs (ages ~2.5-12) and secondary 1st and 2nd grade (ages ~12-16) whole day; secondary 3rd grade (ages ~16-18) during lessons | 2025-09-01 |
| Belgium (French Community / FWB) | Law | Use of a phone or any electronic communications terminal by a pupil banned during school time on school premises, during the midday break spent on premises, and during off-site teaching activities, except for pedagogical purposes and within limits of the… | Maternel, primaire and secondaire, ordinary and special education (ages ~2.5-18) | 2025-08-25 |
| Ireland | National guidance | Primary schools must implement a policy banning use of and access to personal phones for the whole school day; post-primary schools must implement a policy restricting phone use during the school day, with funding for pouches, lock boxes, lockers etc.; | Primary (ages ~4-12): ban; post-primary (ages ~12-18): restriction | Guidance issued 2025-06-13 for implementation from school year 2025/26 (exact deadline not stated on the page) |
| Austria | National rule | Use of mobile phones, smartwatches and similar communication devices banned for the whole time at school (lessons, all breaks, after-school care, off-site lessons, one-day school events); devices may be brought. | Up to and including 8th Schulstufe: Volksschule, Mittelschule, Sonderschule, AHS-Unterstufe (ages ~6-14) | 2025-05-01 |
| Germany | Regional rules only | Rules differ by Land: statutory/regulatory bans confirmed for Hesse (all schools), Bavaria (primary), Saxony (primary + grades 5-8); others leave it to schools or issue recommendations. | Varies by Land | Varies |
| Germany (Hesse) | Regional rules only | Private use of mobile digital devices (phones, smartphones, smartwatches, tablets, laptops) by pupils banned in the school building and on school grounds; carrying allowed. Exceptions for teaching, emergencies, medical/accessibility needs; | All public schools (primary through upper secondary) | School year 2025/2026 |
| Germany (Bavaria) | Regional rules only | Private phone use generally excluded at primary schools and primary levels of special schools. Secondary and vocational schools set their own usage rules; if a school has none, a phone ban applies by default. | Grundschule (grades 1-4, ages ~6-10): ban; secondary: school-set rules, default ban | 2022 |
| Germany (Saxony) | Regional rules only | Private phone ban at Grundschulen and primary levels of special and community schools since Feb 2026, extended to grades 5-8 (Oberschulen, Gymnasien) from school year 2026/27. | Grades 1-4 (since Feb 2026); grades 5-8 (from 2026/27), ages ~6-14 | 2026-02 (primary); school year 2026/2027 (grades 5-8) |
| Switzerland | Regional rules only | Cantonal bans confirmed for Ticino, Valais, Geneva, Aargau; Nidwalden reported but official page now 404; other cantons leave it to schools. | Varies by canton | Varies |
| Switzerland (Ticino) | Regional rules only | Personal mobile devices (phones, smartwatches, earbuds, tablets, laptops, smartglasses) must be switched off (not just airplane mode) and out of sight everywhere on school premises, indoors and outdoors, from start to end of school activities; | Scuole comunali (scuola dell'infanzia, scuola elementare) and scuola media (ages ~3-15) | 2026-03-30 |
| Switzerland (Valais) | Regional rules only | Mobile phone ban across the whole school perimeter (reported to include breaks and midday). | All levels of compulsory schooling (ages ~4-15) | School year 2025-2026 (rentrée 18/21 Aug 2025) |
| Switzerland (Geneva) | Regional rules only | Phones banned at all times inside all Cycle d'orientation (lower secondary) schools, incl. lunch breaks; personal devices no longer allowed for class activities. Phones were already banned in primary school for the whole school time. | Primary (ages ~4-12, already banned) and Cycle d'orientation (ages ~12-15) | Rentrée 2025 (Aug 2025) for Cycle d'orientation |
| Switzerland (Aargau) | Regional rules only | Pupils may not use personal devices (phones, smartphones, smartwatches, tablets, laptops) during lesson times incl. breaks, on school grounds or at school events; use allowed at midday without lessons and on the way to school; | All levels of the Aargau Volksschule (kindergarten to grade 9, ages ~4-15) | 2025-08-01 |
| Finland | Law | Basic Education Act amendment: pupils may not use mobile devices during lessons (exceptions: learning with teacher permission, health, assistive device). | perusopetus (basic education, grades 1-9, ages ~7-16) | 2025-08-01 |
| Denmark | No national rule | No national law in force. Bill L 130 (2025-26), which would have required mandatory mobile-free policies in folkeskoler and leisure provision (fritidstilbud) up to 3rd grade plus content filtering, from 1 Aug 2026, LAPSED (bortfaldet) when an election was… | proposed: folkeskole (grades 0-9) + fritidstilbud/SFO up to 3rd grade — not enacted | — |
| Sweden | Law | National mandatory phone ban for the whole school day (Education Act amendments, prop. 2025/26:193): phones collected at start of school day and returned at end; | förskoleklass + grundskola grades 1-9 and other compulsory school forms, fritidshem (ages ~6-16) | 2026-08-01 (applied from school start, autumn 2026) |
| Norway | National guidance | Utdanningsdirektoratet (Udir) national recommendation, not law: strictly regulate private phones/devices in lessons and breaks in barneskole; in lessons in ungdomsskole and, as main rule, phone-free breaks too. | barneskole grades 1-7 (lessons + breaks); ungdomsskole grades 8-10 (lessons; breaks as main rule); videregående: lessons only | 2024-02 (recommendation issued; date not shown on the opened page) |
| Greece | National rule | Ministerial rule: visible possession and use of mobile phones banned for the whole school day (health exception); non-compliance = one-day suspension. Restated in the 2026-27 primary-school operating circular (no use anywhere on school premises; | national (page says 'in our country'); primary confirmed in 2026-27 circular; secondary per ministry nationwide framing | 2024-09 (school year 2024-25) |
| Hungary | National rule | Government Decree 245/2024. (VIII. 8.) Korm.: phones and other telecom devices are restricted-use items; pupils hand them in at the start of the school day before lessons, stored in a locked place per house rules, returned at end of day. | általános iskola grades 1-8; gimnázium grades 5-12; szakgimnázium grades 9-13 (effectively all of primary + secondary) | 2024-09-01 |
| Latvia | Law | Education Law Art. 36(6): preschool and grade 1-9 pupils may not use mobile phones in the educational institution, except when a teacher allows it for learning. Extended by Saeima on 12 Mar 2026 from grades 1-6 to grades 1-9. | preschool + grades 1-9 (from 2026-06-01); previously preschool + grades 1-6 | 2026-06-01 (grades 1-9 extension); earlier grades 1-6 ban date unverified |
| Lithuania | Law | Law on Education amendments (Seimas, adopted April 2026; 63 for, 26 abstained): NOT a national ban — all preschool and general-education schools must adopt their own device-use procedures based on national recommendations approved by the education and health… | preschool + general education schools (all grades); limits set locally | 2026-05-01 (law in force); school procedures due by 2026-09-01 per press reports |
| Czechia | No national rule | No national ban in force; schools regulate phones through their school rules (školní řád). | proposed: mateřská škola, základní škola (grades 1-9), lower grades of víceletá gymnázia — not enacted | — |
| Poland | Law | Act of 3 Jul 2026 amending Prawo oświatowe (Dz.U. 2026 poz. 1036): pupils banned from using phones/recording devices on school premises during teaching, educational and care activities and off-site educational activities (exceptions: teacher consent for… | primary schools for children and youth (grades 1-8, ages ~7-15) + preschool; secondary = school statutes | 2026-09-01 |
The UK's four nations are covered in our US and UK school phone rules: England's guidance became statutory on 29 June 2026, while Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are consulting on legislation. Canada's provinces are in the school phone rules by province tool.
Sources
Each country or region links to its education ministry, official gazette or regional government page. Rows that could not be confirmed on an official page are not listed.