The Finnish National Agency for Education recommends limiting mobile phone use in schools and educational institutions

The Ministry of Education and Culture is currently preparing a legislative proposal to limit mobile phone use, in line with the government program.

Already according to current legislation, schools and educational institutions can prohibit mobile phone use during lessons in the school rules. Mobile phones may only be used when the teacher grants permission. Disruptive use refers to any phone activity unrelated to the lesson or assigned tasks.

Phone use can also be permitted if the student has specific health or learning needs requiring it. These situations are agreed upon with the school or institution.

– "Many schools and institutions have already banned disruptive mobile phone use, but we recommend this approach to those that haven’t yet done so," says Laura Francke, Senior Counsellor and lawyer at the Finnish National Agency for Education.

Current legislation allows teachers to instruct students to put their phones away in their pocket or school bag where they will not cause disruptions. "Phone parking" - asking the pupils to leave their mobile phones in a place reserved for them in the classroom - can also be used but based on a ruling by the Deputy Parliamentary Ombudsman, it must be voluntary. In basic education, teachers or principals can take away phones that are disrupting learning, even if the school’s rules do not explicitly ban them.

At all levels of education, students can also be asked to leave the classroom if they continue to use their phones disruptively after being instructed to stop.

During breaks, mobile phone use can be restricted but not completely banned, as essential communication for instance with a parent must be allowed. A full-day phone ban is not yet possible under current legislation.

The organizers of primary and lower secondary education, general upper secondary education, and vocational education decide on school rules and restrictions on mobile phone use. The rules take into account the students' age and development level. In adult education, the rules can be different and more flexible than those in compulsory education for children and young people.

Despite the disadvantages mobile phones can present, the use of digital tools and applications is part of the curriculum at various levels of education. According to the Finnish National Agency for Education, in an increasingly digital society, it is also an issue of equality that all students have the opportunity to practice using digital devices at school for free.