South Korea’s parliament on Wednesday passed a bill that would completely ban the use of mobile phones and other digital devices in schools across the country, meaning smartphones banned in all educational institutions nationwide.
According to Reuters, the law will come into effect at the start of the new school year in March 2026. The move is aimed at curbing the harmful effects of excessive social media use among young people.
South Korea is one of the few developed countries to restrict the use of smartphones and social media by minors.
Australia recently tightened its initial restrictions on social media for teenagers, while the Netherlands has seen improved student attention in schools after a ban on mobile phones.
According to the US research institute Pew Research Center, South Korea is one of the most digitally connected countries in the world, with 99 percent of the population using the internet and 98 percent owning smartphones. According to a survey conducted in 2022 and 2023, this rate was the highest among 27 countries.
The bill received support from both major political parties in parliament. “Social media addiction among our youth has now reached dangerous levels,” said Cho Jong-hoon, a lawmaker from the opposition People’s Power Party, who is among the initiators of the bill. “Our children’s eyes are red every morning; they are on Instagram until 2 or 3 a.m..”
According to a recent report by the Ministry of Education, about 37 percent of middle and high school students say that social media affects their daily lives, while 22 percent of students said that they feel anxious if they cannot access social media.
According to the report, several schools in South Korea have already imposed local restrictions on the use of mobile phones, which are now being formalized under the new law.
However, digital devices will remain permitted in certain circumstances, such as for students with disabilities or for educational purposes.
On the other hand, some groups advocating for children’s rights in South Korea have opposed the ban, calling it a violation of children’s human rights.
