South Korea has formally become the latest country on the increasing list of nations to vigorously act on prohibiting smartphone use at schools.
The legislators have approved legislation prohibiting the use of cell phones and smart devices during school hours, and according to them, it will serve as part of their effort at reducing increasing worries regarding smartphone dependency among youngsters and teenagers.
The legislation will take effect from the beginning of the next school year next year in March 2026.
It follows years of debate between teachers, parents, and politicians, many of whom have long believed that ubiquitous use of telephones is harming pupils’ learning and social development.
Supporters of the ban draw attention to the fact that telephones distract pupils during teaching, shorten study time, and also affect the ways young people socialize with each other.
It passed without difficulty at parliament, receiving 115 votes from the 163 members who made it. While there are numerous schools in South Korea that have adopted bans on cellphone use, never before have such prohibitions been codified as part of national law, along with only a handful of nations around the planet.
Phone usage has not been limited to teenagers. In their 2024 survey, the government established that nearly one-fourth of the country’s 51 million residents are hooked on their devices.
South Korea Restricts Teen Phone Use
For individuals aged between 10 and 19, the rate surges higher at 43%, and the rate has been steadily on the rise. A third of teenagers admitted they are not able to constrain the hours spent on their phones browsing on social media.
They are afraid that the addiction eats away at study time, friendship and other wholesome activities. “They need to study at school, but also make friends and participate in all sorts of activities.
But they can’t do those things,” explains Choi Eun-young, who has a 14-year-old son from Seoul. “Even when they are talking with their friends, they immediately get on their phones again, and of course it interferes with learning as well.”
Others, including parent Kim Sun, fear the shadow side of cyber life, pointing to moments of cyber harassment when kids insult one another on chat programs.
Smartphones will also be banned during class periods under the new law, although teachers have broader rights to ban use of anywhere on campus if necessary. There are some exceptions: pupils with handicaps or specific learning difficulties are still able to use help devices, and phones are allowed for emergency use or for particular learning tasks.
It also asks schools for advice on the “appropriate use” of smart devices, which is an indication that the government hopes not to have the measure perceived as merely punitive.
Cho Jung-hun, an opposition MP who tabled the bill, said the initiative borrowed ideas from overseas. France, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, and China all have strict restrictions on the use of phones at school, though Seoul is one of the few places to enshrine the practice at law.
Cho maintains there exists “significant scientific and medical evidence” that smartphone addiction has deleterious effects on brain development and psychological health for young individuals.
Teacher and Student Opinions on Smartphone Use in South Korean Schools
Teachers’ organizations have not presented a united front on the matter. The conservative Korean Federation of Teachers’ Association greeted the law, writing that almost 70% of teachers said their classrooms had been disrupted due to phones.
Even some teachers had verbal abuse directed at them or worse when they approached those violating existing regulations. The group explained the new law provides schools with more legal authority to act.
Still, the Korean Teachers and Educational Workers’ Union has been less effusive, cautioning that there are members who view the law as potentially contravening the rights of students.
Pupils themselves are divided. Some endorse smartphones as disruptive of learning, and others think the law doesn’t address underlying issues.
“As opposed to just confiscating phones, first of all pupils need education on what they can do without them,” remarks Seo Min-joon, an 18-year-old student at Seoul High School. He points out the root of the ultimate problem as South Korea’s very competitive education system, which centers on the nationwide college entrance exam, Suneung.
South Korea Debates Phone Ban in Schools
For the majority of South Korean students, school days are long with additional class tutoring and homework and there isn’t much free time. One 13-year-old boy said he is simply too busy to get addicted to his phone. Critics of the law note that unless pressure from schoolwork decreases, banning phones from class may only scratch the surface of a very large iceberg.
However, for parents and teachers for whom smartphones are just part of the daily distraction, the law is a welcome step. Whether it actually reduces dependence or merely prompts students to use their phones more during their free time only time will tell.
