More than half of countries already have restrictions on phones in schools

In total, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization counts 114 educational systems with bans on the use of telephones.

“In three years, the proportion of countries that prohibit the use of smartphones in schools has more than doubled,” UNESCO detailed in a statement, noting that less than one in four countries (24%) had bans in June 2023, when this phenomenon was first analyzed in its Global Education Monitoring Report.

In March 2026, that proportion is almost 35 percentage points higher (58%) and among the latest to join the trend are countries such as Bolivia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Georgia, Maldives or Malta.

This progression demonstrates, for the Paris-based UN agency, that the issue “has become a fundamental priority of educational policies.”

However, the “diversity of approaches,” ranging from national bans to regulatory frameworks and subnational initiatives, suggests “that countries are still seeking the right balance between limiting distractions and teaching responsible use of technology.”

“In many cases, bans apply during the school day or within classrooms, and some systems allow the use of phones only for educational purposes, for specific groups of students (such as those with disabilities or illnesses), or require that they be turned off and put away,” the text states.

France, the statement exemplifies, is one of the countries where the debate “continues to evolve”, since, after an initial ban on the use of telephones in primary and secondary education, it is being studied whether it is necessary to introduce new regulations for their specific uses.

Other governments do not opt ​​for direct bans, but rather leave the responsibility of developing rules to restrict phones in the hands of schools, as is the case in Comoros, Colombia, Estonia, Lithuania, Iceland, Peru, Indonesia, Serbia, Poland or the Philippines.

At lower levels of government (local or regional) debates also occur, such as in Argentina, where the province of Buenos Aires adopted a veto on mobile phones in primary schools.

Bans, however, will not solve the challenges of the digital age, warns UNESCO, since although limiting phone use can reduce distractions in class, it is necessary for students to learn to navigate the digital environment.

“Schools remain one of the few places where young people can develop digital and critical thinking skills, including the ability to evaluate online information, manage screen time, and understand the risks of digital platforms,” the statement said.

Therefore, the political challenge goes beyond simply banning the devices, UNESCO maintains, and is about “ensuring that educational systems protect the time dedicated to learning and prepare students for a digital world.”

For this reason, on the occasion of International Digital Learning Day, UNESCO called for the use of digital technology in education to be “people-centered and rights-based, for the benefit of all students.”