DUTCH GOVERNMENT WEIGHS NATIONWIDE SCHOOL PHONE BAN TO PROTECT CHILDREN

Mon 05 October 2026:

According to broadcaster NOS on Monday, the Dutch Cabinet has urged primary and secondary schools to prohibit students from using mobile phones for the entire school day, including during breaks and anywhere on school grounds.

Under the proposed measure, students would be required to keep their mobile phones away for the duration of the school day, including in classrooms, assembly halls, during breaks and elsewhere on school premises, from Jan. 1, 2027.

The Cabinet currently does not have the legal authority to impose a nationwide ban on mobile phone use in schools but can issue recommendations to the education sector.

The proposal is part of a broader government strategy aimed at protecting children from risks associated with excessive and potentially harmful online activity.

Officials warned that addictive algorithms, autoplaying videos and social media can make it difficult for young people to reduce their screen use.

The government previously reached national agreements in 2024 aimed at restricting mobile phone use during lessons.

The Cabinet is also calling for stronger measures to protect children online, including a possible age limit for access to social media platforms.

The European Commission is considering an age threshold of 13, while the Dutch government has proposed setting the minimum age at 15.

The government is also preparing tighter regulations for family vloggers and child influencers.

Under the proposed rules, online content produced by children under 15 could be classified as child labor and subject to penalties.

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Using a cellphone at school pulls a child’s attention away from learning and from other people. Even when the phone is face-down, the urge to check it splits focus, so lessons are harder to follow and homework is finished more slowly.

Phones also shrink face-to-face contact. Breaks that used to be spent talking, playing, or resolving small conflicts are often spent scrolling. That can weaken social skills, increase feelings of exclusion, and make bullying or rumor-spreading easier and harder to escape. Constant comparison on social media is tied to higher anxiety and lower self-esteem in many adolescents.

Sleep and mood can suffer too when school-day use builds a habit of nonstop notifications. Exceptions for medical needs or specific lessons still make sense, but routine phone use during the school day tends to trade attention, learning, and real interaction for distraction.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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