In a decisive move to address rising concerns over smartphone addiction among children and teenagers, South Korea has passed a law banning the use of smartphone and smart devices during class hours in schools. The legislation, approved by parliament on Wednesday with 115 votes in favour out of 163 members present, will take effect from March 2026, marking the start of the next academic year.
The law is the outcome of a rare bipartisan consensus, with lawmakers, parents and educators coming together to highlight the growing negative impact of excessive smartphone use on students’ academic performance and emotional development. Advocates of the law argue that constant screen time is distracting students from their studies, limiting face-to-face interactions with peers, and in many cases, fuelling instances of bullying through social media platforms.
While many South Korean schools had already adopted their own restrictions on smartphone use, this legislation makes the country one of the few in the world to enshrine such a ban into law. Similar restrictions exist in countries like France, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands and China, though most are applied either to younger children or through school-level rules rather than legislation.
The decision has been welcomed by several parents, who believe smartphones interfere with both learning and social development. “When children go to school, they should be studying, making friends, and participating in activities,” said Choi Eun-young, mother of a 14-year-old student in Seoul. “But even during conversations, they quickly drift back to their phones, and that disrupts learning as well as friendships.” Others, like Kim Sun, a mother of two primary schoolers, expressed concern about the bullying culture on social media, where “kids throw around unthinkably harsh insults” that spill over into school life.
Statistics show the scale of the problem. A 2024 government survey revealed that nearly 25% of South Korea’s 51 million people are overly dependent on smartphones. Among teenagers aged 10 to 19, that figure jumps to 43%, with more than a third admitting they struggle to control the time spent scrolling through social media videos.
The new law allows some exemptions for students with disabilities or those who require devices for educational purposes, and grants teachers the authority to restrict smartphone use on school premises. Teachers themselves, however, remain divided. While the conservative Korean Federation of Teachers’ Association supports the law, citing frequent classroom disruptions, the Korean Teachers and Educational Workers’ Union has not taken an official stance, pointing out that some educators believe it infringes on students’ rights.
Critics also argue that the law targets the symptom rather than the root cause of stress among South Korean students. Many point to the country’s famously competitive college entrance exam, Suneung, an eight-hour test marathon that often dictates future career prospects. “Rather than simply taking phones away, students should be taught how to use them responsibly,” said 18-year-old student Seo Min-joon. “The real problem is not the phones but the relentless pressure we face.”
Despite scepticism from some students and teachers, supporters of the bill say it provides a strong legal foundation to ensure classrooms remain spaces dedicated to learning, free from the distractions of the digital world. As South Korea prepares to implement the ban in 2026, the country will be closely watched by others grappling with the global challenge of smartphone overuse among the young.
