Government wants phone-free school day from January
The existing agreement mainly applies to lessons; the new approach is intended to keep mobile phones out of sight throughout the school day.
There is news on this story (Monday, 5 October 2026, 12:13): Cabinet plans to bar mobile phones throughout school day
The government wants to tighten the agreements on mobile phones in schools, so that pupils also leave their phones at home or put them in a locker during breaks and free periods. The precise nationwide implementation and the announced date of 1 January could not yet be verified in a new public government letter.
Since 1 January 2024, mobile phones have not been allowed to be used in class at secondary schools. For primary schools and special education, the agreement has applied since the 2024–25 school year. Schools set their own rules for practical implementation, with exceptions for educational purposes, medical necessity and disabilities.
The government’s new approach goes a step further. It would restrict not only use during lessons, but also access to the phone throughout the entire school day. In practice, that usually means leaving it at home or switching it off and storing it in a locker on arrival.
A motion in the Lower House (Tweede Kamer) previously called for precisely such a tightening. It states that mobile phones should not be accessible throughout the school day, except when they are strictly necessary for education or because of a medical indication. The motion is a parliamentary request and is not in itself a general legal obligation.
Schools that already require phones to be left at home or stored in lockers say that a uniform rule can create calm and encourage more personal contact. Teachers also no longer have to check in every lesson whether pupils are using their phones. At the same time, the approach has implications for schools’ accessibility to parents and for pupils who normally use their phones for transport, safety or practical information.
Research into the effects of a phone-free school day is not the same as research into a ban on phone use during lessons. It is therefore too early to say that a nationwide rule covering the entire school day would automatically lead to better academic performance. There is, however, broad policy support for reducing distraction in the classroom.
The measure also raises practical questions. Who is responsible if a phone is lost or damaged in a locker? How will schools deal with pupils without lockers, with medical equipment or with pupils who need a phone because of a disability? And how can communication remain possible if a pupil cannot access the device during the school day?
The new regulation must therefore make clear whether it is an advisory measure, a nationwide agreement or a legal standard. Until that text is made public, De Vector writes that the government wants to make the school day phone-free, not that all schools will be legally required from a set date to apply exactly that model.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Phones are already restricted in the classroom under nationwide agreements.
- A parliamentary motion calls for phones to be inaccessible throughout the entire school day.
- Schools have exceptions for education, medical necessity and disabilities.
- The precise new nationwide regulation has not yet been fully verified in public sources.
Left
Arguments A phone-free school day protects pupils from commercial and social pressure that schools struggle to regulate on their own. The government should set clear minimum standards and help schools with alternatives, accessibility and support.
Values Equal educational opportunities, public protection and calm in the school environment.
Consequences A nationwide standard could reduce differences between schools, but would require additional resources and carefully designed exceptions.
Centre
Arguments A clear general rule can work, as long as schools retain room for tailored solutions and implementation is developed with pupils, parents and staff. Effects on learning and wellbeing should be measured.
Values Practical feasibility, proportionality and cooperation.
Consequences A phased approach could reduce resistance, but would temporarily make the rules less uniform.
Right
Arguments Schools and parents know best which arrangements suit their community. A nationwide obligation could create unnecessary bureaucracy and erode the responsibility of families and school boards.
Values Freedom of education, local governance and parental responsibility.
Consequences More room for tailored solutions could resolve practical problems, but could also allow major differences between schools to remain.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved with corrections · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The existing rules and the motion have been confirmed. The non-public or unverifiable implementation date has been qualified in the text and not presented as an established legal obligation.
- confirmed Since 1 January 2024, phones have not been allowed to be used in class at secondary schools. — The Dutch government describes the existing agreement. source
- confirmed A Lower House motion called for phones to be inaccessible throughout the entire school day. — The literal substance of the motion. source
- uncertain All schools will be legally required to have a phone-free school day from 1 January. — The new government decision and its legal status were not found in a public primary source. source
1 correction(s) applied
- Was: From 1 January, all schools will be required to keep their phones in lockers throughout the entire school day.Now: The government wants to tighten the agreements towards a phone-free school day; the precise implementation date and legal status have not yet been independently established. (The public primary sources confirm the existing rule and a parliamentary motion, but not the full new obligation.)
Editor's note
The existing nationwide agreements and a parliamentary motion are public. The precise new government decision and the legal status of the date 1 January could not be independently established.Sources
- Gebruik van mobiele telefoons niet toegestaan in de klas — Rijksoverheid
- Motie over thuis of in de kluis gedurende de gehele schooldag — Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal
- Memo aanscherping mobieltjesrichtlijn op scholen — GGD Haaglanden
The story so far
- Monday, 5 October 2026, 09:12 Government wants phone-free school day from January (this article)
- Monday, 5 October 2026, 12:13 Cabinet plans to bar mobile phones throughout school day
More on this in Dutch media
- Het Parool — „onderwijs smartphones”
- Trouw — „onderwijs smartphones”
- NRC — „onderwijs smartphones”