Poland to ban students under 16 from using mobile devices in schools
The Polish government has recently approved a draft law that will prohibit students under the age of 16 from using mobile phones and smartwatches while on school premises. According to reports from Engadget on Wednesday, the proposed regulation still requires approval from Parliament and the President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, to be enacted into law.
If approved and passed into law, students will not be permitted to use mobile phones or smartwatches during school hours, including during breaks and after-school activities. Students will still be allowed to bring devices to school, but school administrators will be required to provide specific storage areas to keep these devices until the end of the school day.
Teachers and school staff will not be affected by these provisions, nor will students who are ill, those with disabilities, or students with other special needs who require the support of electronic devices. Other students will be able to request permission to use their phones in emergency situations.
Once the enactment is approved, the law regulating the restriction of device usage for students will be implemented in the new academic year starting on 1 September 2026 in Poland.
“We are proposing a ban on the use of mobile phones during lessons and breaks in primary schools. This is not a perfect solution, and we have no illusions about that, but we must address the serious problem of mobile phone and internet addiction,” a spokesperson stated.
Poland is following the lead of several other nations that have already implemented restrictions on mobile phone use in schools. Italy introduced a similar ban in 2024 and expanded the rule to secondary schools the following year, while South Korea has implemented a ban on phone use during school hours since March 2026.
In addition to the plan to ban devices in schools, the Polish government has approved a draft law requiring adult content websites to implement age verification systems to prevent children from accessing them. Similar policies have been in place in the United Kingdom since 2019, and various regions and states in the United States have also implemented such regulations.