Czech Schools Consider Mobile Phone Ban for Students Under 15

A proposed amendment to the Czech school law, put forward by the KDU-ČSL party, would ban mobile phones and other electronic devices in classrooms beginning July 1, 2026. The legislation would completely prohibit devices for children aged ten and under, and allow teachers to permit their use for students up to age fifteen only when integrated into lessons. The ban would similarly extend to basic art schools.

Exceptions would be made for students with medical conditions, such as diabetics who use smart sensors paired with mobile applications to monitor blood sugar levels.

According to the KDU-ČSL, the current system, where school regulations regarding mobile phones are left to individual schools, creates legal uncertainty and frequent conflicts with parents. The party believes a legal framework is needed, while still allowing schools a degree of autonomy. “The law does not specify detailed regulations, but establishes basic rules and provides schools with a clear basis to enforce them fairly and predictably,” explained KDU-ČSL representative Václav Pláteník.

Phones Distract Students

The KDU-ČSL rejects the idea that the proposal is simply a ban. The party says the amendment was developed with recommendations from international organizations like the OECD and UNESCO, which point out that technology is only beneficial in education when it supports learning, not when it distracts students. “The proposal is not against technology, but against its uncontrolled and disruptive use in school. A similar model works, for example, in France, Finland and Belgium,” Pláteník said.

The proposed law would allow schools to decide when mobile phones can be used in lessons, with teachers making the determination based on whether the devices are appropriate for the subject matter. “The teacher acts as a qualified professional who assesses whether the use of the device is appropriate in a given lesson and subject. This permission may be one-time or repeated and is linked to specific teaching, not to the student’s general right to use the device,” the proposal states.

The legislation would also allow schools to temporarily confiscate prohibited electronics from students who disobey the rules, with the length and conditions of confiscation determined by the school’s internal regulations.

The proposal will demand support from the governing coalition to pass. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has already expressed his support for regulating mobile phone use in schools. “The Slovaks, Hungarians, Austrians – they all have this. We need to address this as soon as possible. A friend of mine sent me clear rules for using mobile phones in Irish schools. Children there have their phones stored during the entire school day, no mobile phones during breaks or lessons. The state will support this with funding,” Babiš said on social media.

However, this doesn’t necessarily mean another proposal won’t emerge directly from the Ministry of Education. “First of all, it should be stated that no decision has yet been made regarding a ban on mobile phones. Minister Plaga does not want to dictate what is right and wrong, but is addressing this issue with experts and wants to produce any decisions based on these discussions,” said Ondřej Macura, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Education, in response to a question about whether the ministry would consider the KDU-ČSL proposal.

Robert Plaga believes it is also necessary to teach children how to work with technology and increase their psychological resilience. He also shares the view that modern technology has a place in education, not only in computer science. “If we are talking about a possible intervention, it is primarily in connection with unproductive spending of free time during breaks, when, according to the minister, children and young people need to be offered an alternative, a meaningful impulse. It should definitely not be just about mechanically taking away mobile phones, i.e., just a restriction,” Macura added.

A solution could be the introduction of so-called active breaks, which some schools are already successfully testing. During these breaks, children can play table tennis or use the school’s sports facilities. The Ministry of Education confirmed that school principals will receive support and a methodology of fine practice, which the ministry is expected to present at the end of February and beginning of March.

Blanket Restrictions Are Not the Answer

The debate over banning or regulating mobile phones in schools has been ongoing, due to concerns that phones distract students and lead them to ignore lessons in favor of playing games. However, many experts warn against blanket restrictions, citing potential impacts on mental health and the space opened for addiction.

Arguments are also made that regulating mobile phones will reduce children’s digital literacy, which they need to constantly strengthen in the 21st century. Karel Strachota, director of the One World at Schools educational program of the People in Need organization, disagrees with this view. “This most common argument of opponents of regulation is essentially a fallacy. The use of technology in education led by teachers would naturally remain possible and desirable. Most schools are well equipped today, they have computer labs, laptops and tablets for loan. And let’s agree that scrolling through social networks on your own mobile phones during lessons and breaks hardly strengthens digital literacy,” he explained.

He also disputes the common argument that restricting use in schools will cause a kind of “withdrawal” and children will not be able to detach from their phones at home. “That banning phones at school would lead to ‘compensatory’ overuse at home is a speculation not confirmed by any study. On the contrary, some studies display that children get used to the rules and use their phones more appropriately at home because they have become accustomed to disconnecting,” he said.

However, studies exist that show that bans do not improve or enhance school performance. Researchers at Masaryk University in Brno published their findings in February, examining the relationship between bans and education in 21 European countries. “across countries, the results of students in the mathematics literacy test from schools with and without a mobile phone ban were comparable,” the researchers confirmed. They spoke out against blanket bans. “Based on the results of our studies, we do not recommend blanket bans on mobile phones in schools. Bans alone have not proven to be a reliable tool for improving student results, increasing their mental well-being or reducing susceptibility to online addiction and cyberbullying,” they added.