Mobile phone bans in schools across the EU

Mobile phones have become omnipresent in the lives of children and adolescents across Europe, sparking debate around two distinct yet overlapping concerns: the challenge of digital distractions emerging as a major threat to academic performance, and broader public health concerns regarding the excessive use of mobile phones and its potential links to adverse psychosocial outcomes. In response, diverse national strategies have emerged across the EU. These range from total bans during school hours to more nuanced restriction policies involving conditional or supervised use. By the end of 2024, approximately 40 % of education systems worldwide had implemented some form of restrictions on smartphones in schools. This analytical report maps mobile phone policies across EU Member States and examines their implementation through in-depth case studies in four countries: France, Hungary, Italy and Sweden. It explores the rationale behind these policies, the practical realities of their implementation, stakeholder perceptions, the challenges encountered, and perceived outcomes. Importantly, the report goes beyond an analysis of policy to examine how mobile phone bans and restrictions work in practice. This analysis draws on field research, document analysis and stakeholder interviews across diverse educational contexts.

Authors:

Stéphanie Crêteur, Jekatyerina Dunajeva, Brenda Frydman, Iselin Berg Mulvik, Debora Del Cogliano, Cosmin Nada, Hanna Siarova, Simona Sankalaite

Please cite this publication as:

European Commission: Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, Crêteur, S., Dunajeva, J., Frydman, B., Berg Mulvik, I. et al., Mobile phone bans in European schools – ENESET analytical report, Publications Office of the European Union, 2026, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2766/2403181