Denmark is moving forward with legislation to ban smartphones in schools across the country, according to a recent announcement from Education Minister Mattias Tesfaye.
“We have decided to give the government’s support to this idea and that’s why we are starting to prepare a change in the law,” Tesfaye told the Danish daily newspaper Politiken.
While the specifics of the legislation are still being developed, the minister clarified that “mobile phones and personal tablets will not be allowed at school, neither during break times nor during lessons.”
Protecting Childhood and Well-being
The initiative stems from growing concerns about screen time’s impact on youth development and mental health. Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt emphasized this point during a press conference, stating: “I believe screens are robbing many of our children of their childhood.”
The proposed ban follows recommendations from a youth wellbeing commission, which also suggested restricting smartphone use to children aged 13 and older. However, commission president Rasmus Meyer noted that the age restriction is “clearly not something that should be decided by law.”
Impact on Child Development
Meyer expressed particular concern about how smartphones affect children’s daily lives and self-perception. “As soon as a phone enters a child’s bedroom, it takes up all the space,” he explained. “It risks destroying their self-esteem. As soon as they have a gadget in their hands, their wellbeing suffers.”
The Danish initiative joins similar measures being implemented in various countries as policymakers grapple with balancing technology’s educational benefits against concerns about its effects on childhood development, attention spans, and social interactions.
The government has not yet announced a timeline for when the legislation will be formally introduced or implemented in Danish schools.
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