South Korea is drawing a hard line on smartphones in schools.
Starting March 2026, students won’t be allowed to use their phones during class hours.
A move lawmakers say is long overdue in the fight against digital addiction.
Supporters argue it’s simple: too much screen time is hurting kids’ focus, grades, and even friendships.
“When they go to school, they’re supposed to study, but also build friendships…
Yet they quickly go back to their phones,” says Choi Eun-young, a mother of a 14-year-old in Seoul.
Will A Phone Ban Really Help Students?
The numbers back her up. Nearly half of Korean teens admit they struggle to control their scrolling habits.
Many are glued to short-form videos late into the night.
Teachers, too, report classroom disruptions and even verbal clashes when phones are taken away.
But not everyone is convinced. Some students argue the ban misses the point.
“Rather than simply taking phones away, the first step should be teaching students what they can do without them,” says 18-year-old Seo Min-joon.
Critics also warn it doesn’t tackle the real source of stress — South Korea’s famously grueling college entrance exams.
Still, by writing the ban into law, South Korea has gone further than most countries.
The question is: will locking away phones unlock better learning — or just shift the problem elsewhere?
