South Korea has banned smartphone use in schools nationwide to limit children's and teens' phone usage.
According to BBC, South Korea, on Wednesday, August 26, passed a bill to ban mobile phones and other smart devices in the classroom to curb smartphone addiction.
Lawmakers, teachers, and parents of the children highlighted that smartphone usage has affected the academic progress and performance of the students.
In the presence of 163 lawmakers, the bill was convincingly passed on Wednesday afternoon after 115 members voted in favour.
Choi Eun-young, mother of a 14-year-old in Seoul, talking about smartphone addiction of children and teenagers, said, “When they go to school, they're supposed to study but also build friendships and take part in various activities. Yet they're unable to focus on those things.”
“Even when they're chatting with friends, they quickly go back to their phones, and naturally, this interferes with learning as well,” she added.
The new law will come into effect from the next school year in March 2026.
It is worth noting that most of the schools in South Korea are already implementing some kind of smartphone rules.
Other countries like Finland and France have also banned phones, but for young children only, while Italy, the Netherlands, and China have restricted phone use in all schools.
