The Screen Is Losing Its Place in the Classroom

The digitalization of schools is losing its blank check as a sign of progress in education policy. The Scandinavians who pioneered it are now changing course. According to the Swedish National Agency for Education, a phone-free school day has been in effect there since 1 August 2026. Devices are collected in the morning and returned after classes end. Preschools have also operated largely without screens since 2025.

Denmark is providing around €72m ($84m) for printed books. The move follows a particularly intensive use of digital technology. According to PISA 2022, Danish students spent an average of 3.8 hours per school day using digital learning tools – more than in any of the other 81 education systems surveyed. Some 72% used them in almost every lesson. The OECD average was 16%. Meanwhile, Norway’s government wants to enshrine the right to physical learning materials in law. Computers and learning platforms will remain. Books, pens and undivided attention, however, are once again being given a permanent place.

Behind this is a simple insight: learning requires focused absorption of the material, independent further processing by students and a retrieval of learned material from their own knowledge. Taking notes by hand, for example, supports this processing because students have to select, condense and find their own formulations rather than simply consume information.

This may be part of its value: paper guides thought without simultaneously offering messages, tabs and entertainment at the click of a button. The coordination between the writing hand and memory embeds information more deeply than reading from a screen, while also complementing instruction from a teacher. Digital tools instead derive their value from specific functions such as simulations, targeted feedback or accessible learning.

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Asia’s Success Is Not Based on Screens

In PISA 2022, Singapore ranked first in mathematics, reading and science. Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau were also among the top performers. This was often portrayed as a success story of technological modernization, as though it were the result of these countries simultaneously embracing digitalization. The OECD data does not support this simple explanation.

Japanese students used digital learning tools at school for an average of 1.7 hours a day, compared with an OECD average of two hours. Only 5% reported being distracted by their own device during mathematics lessons. The OECD average was 30%. The OECD country report on Korea puts the figure at 9%. In both countries focused teaching, structured practice periods and strong guidance from teachers are part of everyday school life.

Singapore takes a different approach. By the end of 2021, all secondary school students had received a prescribed personal digital learning device. In addition, the government-run Student Learning Space provides a centralized, curriculum-aligned learning platform. Schools can control applications, filters and usage times. Some 71% of students work digitally at school for at least one hour a day. Technology operates within a binding educational framework.

Asia therefore has no single digital model. Japan achieves top results with relatively little screen time, while Singapore does so with intensive and tightly controlled use of digital tools. What they have in common are demanding curricula, clear tasks, discipline and available teachers. The OECD also finds a positive association with mathematics performance but only up to around one hour of digital learning per school day. With longer use, the relationship reverses and extended digital time worsens learning outcomes. Accordingly, the OECD explicitly warns against interpreting this relationship as causal.

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From Florida to Slovakia

On the other side of the Atlantic, there is also growing demand for clear rules. According to a survey by the National Center for Education Statistics, 77% of US public schools had already banned mobile phone use during all classes in 2025. More than half of school leaders saw negative effects on academic performance, while even more reported issues with attention and mental health.

Florida tightened its rules in July 2025. In elementary and middle schools, mobile phones may not be used throughout the entire school day, while in high schools they are prohibited during lessons. Exceptions remain for medical reasons and explicitly authorized educational purposes. Digital learning resources and devices used by teachers remain permitted. In addition, according to the Florida Senate’s summary of the legislation, the education authorities are piloting an all-day mobile phone ban in high schools in six districts. Their report, including a model policy, is due by 1 December 2026.

In Germany, the starting point is different. The first Digital Pact provided a total of €6.5bn ($7.6bn) in funding from 2019. Around 30,000 schools received Wi-Fi, modernized networks, presentation technology or digital devices. According to the federal government, 97% of the available funds were spent.

The Digital Pact 2.0, agreed at the end of 2025, provides for a further €5bn ($5.8bn) by 2030, financed equally by the federal government and the individual federal states. Funding covers infrastructure, maintenance, technical support and digital learning environments. The pact regulates neither screen time nor the use of private mobile phones and does not establish a nationwide right to printed textbooks. These decisions remain with the states, school authorities and individual schools. The federal government is also providing up to €250m ($291m) for research, knowledge transfer and teacher training.

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In Eastern Europe, regulation of access to digital devices during school hours is advancing more quickly. The Polish Parliament passed restrictions on mobile phones in primary schools and preschools in July 2026. Exceptions are provided for medical needs, special educational requirements and designated teaching purposes.

In Slovakia, a general ban on mobile phones has been in place for grades one to nine since January 2025, according to the government-validated UNESCO country profile. Schools determine whether devices must be handed in or kept in students’ backpacks. At the same time, the country is investing €224.6m ($261m) in “DigiEDU”. In spring 2025 alone, the Slovak Education Ministry delivered a total of 44,500 computers, tablets, interactive whiteboards and other devices to more than 700 schools.