The country also wants adult websites to implement age checks to keep out children.
The Polish government recently approved a bill that would ban students under 16 from using their phones and smartwatches in school. It will still need to be approved by the country’s parliament and President Karol Nawrocki before becoming law. If this happens, students will not be allowed to use their devices throughout the school day, even during their breaks and after-class activities. notes from poland. They will still be able to bring their own devices, but schools must provide a designated space where students must leave them until it is time to go home.
Students with illness, disability and other special needs, as well as teachers and school staff, will not be included in the restrictions. For example, someone who needs to monitor their blood sugar can keep their electronics with them. Other students will be able to borrow and use their phones in case of emergencies. If the bill is passed in full, it would go into effect when the next school year starts on September 1.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said, “We propose to ban the use of mobile phones during classes and breaks in primary schools.” “This is not a perfect solution, we have no illusions about it, but we have to address this serious problem that is phone and internet addiction.”
If the bill becomes law, Poland would follow in the footsteps of other countries that have already banned phones in schools. Italy implemented the same rule in 2024 and extended the ban to high school children last year. Since March this year, South Korea also implemented a ban on students’ phone use during school hours. Researchers found that banning phones from classrooms in the Netherlands improved students’ concentration and school social climate.
Additionally, the Polish government has also approved a bill that will require websites providing adult content to implement age verification systems to keep children out. The UK was the first country in the world to require age verification for online pornography in 2019, and other regions and US states have since imposed the same requirement.
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