The Finnish Parliament has approved amendments to legislation that will allow restrictions on students’ use of mobile phones during school lessons, according to Yle.
On Tuesday, April 29, lawmakers passed changes that will come into effect in August 2025. Under the new rules, primary and lower secondary school students will only be allowed to use smartphones during class with the teacher’s permission—for example, for assignments that require a phone or for health-related reasons.
Teachers and school administrators will also be granted the authority to confiscate a student’s phone if its use disrupts the learning process. A month earlier, the Committee on Constitutional Law found no issues with the bill prohibiting the use of mobile devices during lessons.
Similar measures are being discussed or have already been implemented in other European countries. In Latvia, for example, students in grades 1 to 6 are banned from using mobile phones while at school. In France, authorities plan to tighten existing restrictions, potentially banning students aged 11 to 15 from carrying phones at all during the school day.
