Sweden: Schools will be completely mobile-free

According to Danish TV2 and SVT Nyheder, the Swedish schools (grade 1-9) will be completely mobile-free as soon as possible. Even during breaks, pupils from grades 1-9 will be forced to give up their phones, according to the new Tidö agreement. “This is a step forward in an important cultural change,” says Liberal Party leader Johan Pehrson. The government wants this to be the norm in all Swedish schools.

Principals should be able to decide on individual exceptions to the mobile phone ban.

“It is now well documented that it is natural to not have mobile phones in grades 1-9 during the school day, even during breaks. We must increase learning and knowledge acquisition in Swedish schools,” says Johan Pehrson.

“Focus on real life”

Pehrson (Labour market and Integration Minister) points out that his own children have been affected by this “experiment” and that the phones have been used too freely at school, which has not been beneficial. “In the classroom you should be focused, and during breaks you should not stare at a screen,” says Mr Pehrson. “We need to focus on real life and that’s what school is for.” The plan is to collect the phones in the morning and give them back when the school day has ended.

Introduced as soon as possible

Banning mobile phones was already introduced last year in Sweden where, by law, the teacher must decide when to use the phones and could also confiscate them. Johan Pehrson believes that the principals who have already introduced mobile-free school days have succeeded well.

“It has been good. And now we have seen that this has been so good that it should be the starting point for all schools. It is absolutely necessary, not least in the light of the Pisa results,” he says.

The latest Pisa test just published shows worse scores in math and reading compared to the last Pisa survey in 2018.

Source: https://www.svt.se/nyheter/inrikes/grundskolan-ska-bli-helt-mobilfri–rnjsht