3rd of August 2025: Finland says "stop!" to phones in schools. New law goes into effect.

FINLAND ELIMINATES SMARTPHONES FROM THE SCHOOL LESSONS

NEW CRUCIAL DECISIONS IN FINLANDS EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

New legislation restricting the use of mobile phones in Finnish schools came into force on Friday, a week before the start of the school year, AFP reports, quoted by Agerpres.

This Nordic country, long renowned for the quality of its education, has dropped significantly in an OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) ranking that measures the math, reading and science skills of 15-year-old students.

Finland passed a law in April banning the use of mobile phones by students aged 7 to 16 during school hours.

From now on, phones and electronic devices can only be used in class for educational purposes, as a support tool or for health reasons, with the teacher's permission.

Schools are left free to organize themselves.

In Varkaus, in the east of the country, a school with about 700 students will require them to keep their phones in their backpacks or lockers all day, including during breaks, public broadcaster Yle reported, while in Tampere (in the west of the country), students will only be allowed to use their smartphones outside the building during breaks.

The Finnish National Agency for Education had recommended stricter rules than those required by law: banning them during meals and restricting their use during breaks.

According to the most recent OECD report published in 2022, 41% of Finnish students said that exposure to screens distracted them in all or most math lessons, a figure significantly higher than the OECD average of 31%.