Denmark Moves to Ban Phones in Schools

Denmark’s Minister of Education announced that the government is preparing legislation to ban smartphones in schools, following recommendations from a youth welfare committee presented on Tuesday.

According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), Minister Mattias Tesfaye told the Danish newspaper Politiken, “We in the government have chosen to support this idea, which is why we have begun drafting a change in the law.”

The specific details of the new legislation have yet to be determined, but the minister emphasized that “mobile phones and personal tablets have no place in school—not during breaks and not in lessons.”

In addition to banning phone use in schools and colleges, the welfare committee also recommended delaying children’s use of smartphones until the age of 13.

Minister of Culture Jakob Engel-Schmidt stated at a press conference, “In my opinion, screens are stealing the childhood of many of our children.”

When asked whether smartphones should be taken away from children under 13, the committee chairman responded affirmatively.