MALMÖ, Sweden — Once recognized as a pioneer in educational technology adoption, Sweden will prohibit mobile phones in schools starting this fall as part of a growing worldwide movement away from classroom screens.
The Scandinavian nation’s center-right coalition government has implemented policies since 2023 that emphasize increased reading instruction and reduced screen exposure, especially for preschool children, by promoting books and conventional educational materials.
Joar Forsell, chairperson of the Swedish parliament’s education committee, explained that officials have observed declining literacy skills throughout Sweden, particularly among younger pupils.
“We’re rolling the screens back because we believe that books and more traditional ways of learning are better for kids,” Forsell said.
Sweden’s initiative reflects a wider international reassessment of smartphone use in educational settings, following years of schools investing heavily in laptops, tablets and educational applications. Educational environments have become overwhelmed with digital devices, prompting increasing numbers of parents, educators and school systems to advocate for reducing technology use.
Within the Nordic region, Denmark appears ready to enact similar restrictions to Sweden, while Finland implemented legislation limiting mobile device usage in schools last August. Additional nations spanning from Spain to South Korea have introduced various measures ranging from classroom phone prohibitions to restrictions on digital homework assignments.
The Los Angeles Unified School District, America’s second-largest school system, has announced plans to eliminate screens through second grade, establish daily screen time limits by grade level, prohibit YouTube access and mandate reviews of all educational technology agreements.
Technology-forward Sweden, headquarters to music streaming service Spotify and telecommunications corporation Ericsson, operates one of the world’s most digitally sophisticated educational systems. However, the mobile phone prohibition seeks to create learning spaces with reduced interruptions by expanding upon phone restrictions many schools throughout the nation of more than 10 million have already independently adopted.
Accompanying the prohibition, the government allocated 555 million Swedish krona ($59 million) this year through a new funding program for acquiring textbooks and teaching materials.
The return-to-print-materials strategy resulted from declining literacy performance. According to the 2022 Program for International Student Assessment, the most recent study conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 24.3% of Swedish ninth graders failed to achieve basic reading comprehension levels. This percentage represents only a marginal improvement over the European Union average of 26.2%.
Magnus Haake, an associate professor of cognitive science at Lund University in southern Sweden, explained that education using physical materials activates the motor sensory areas of children’s brains and “boosts the whole system.”
Sweden is also implementing measures beyond educational settings: Its public health agency has offered guidance to parents about modeling better screen usage behaviors, such as establishing identical “screen-free zones” at home that their children experience.
At Malmö Borgarskola high school in southern Sweden, mobile devices are currently prohibited during instruction. Students deposit their phones in a container — called a “Mobile Hotel” — and retrieve them when class concludes.
“When you have a phone, there’s always something to look at,” student Melina Sallahi, 17, said. “It’s less of a distraction.”
Fellow student Vasilije Stjepanovic, also 17, noted that applications such as games or social media platforms are “more fun than learning,” explaining that students achieve better educational outcomes when phones are removed.
Simultaneously, each student receives a laptop computer. However, Deputy Headmaster Patrik Sander indicated that students are now discouraged from utilizing them during class periods, unless instructors specifically authorize their use.
“Nowadays, we see the push going in the other direction,” Sander said. “We have pushed back, learning that writing with your hands and a pencil helps you remember.”
Beginning last summer, Swedish children younger than 2 years old may only access non-digital materials such as books, while preschoolers generally face no mandate to utilize digital educational tools. A revised curriculum emphasizing book-centered learning is anticipated by 2028.
Not all citizens in the Nordic country endorse the transition away from digital education.
Trade association Swedish Edtech Industry stated in a report that 90% of future employment opportunities are projected to demand digital competencies. Insufficient knowledge in this area could result in skills gaps among young Swedes, reduced innovation within the public sector and potentially higher unemployment rates, according to the report’s warnings.
Peter Carlsson, CEO of Malmö-based startup Imvi Labs, which employs virtual reality headsets to develop brain-eye coordination in children and adults, argued that not all screens interfere with education and certain software is “critical” for assisting children with learning or reading challenges.
“By having good tools, the teaching can become more efficient,” he said.
However, at Malmö Borgarskola, concerns about acquiring digital competencies remain minimal. During one May morning, students held textbooks while discussing Russian history as they prepared for final examinations.
“Everyone uses digital devices during their free time, so I don’t think that’s something that should be taught in school,” student Melina Sallahi said. “It’s nothing I’m worried about.”
Classmate Aslan Özhan Kilicasan added, “We learn much more easily when we use books.”
