Cabinet wants phones out of schools from January

The cabinet is calling on all primary and secondary schools to ban mobile phone use starting from January.

In a new proposal from digital economy minister Willemijn Aerdts, children would not be allowed to use their phones on school grounds, rules about children appearing in family vlogs would be tightened and the time children spend scrolling would be limited.

“Online, on social media or in video games, children quickly become exposed and face unacceptable risks,” Aerdts said in the proposal, called ‘Strategy Letter on Children’s Rights’.

Since 2024, there have been national agreements prohibiting the use of phones in the classroom.

The government does not have the authority to order schools to implement the policy and the education ministry will work with schools to come up with an agreement.

Aerdts is also keen to limit how children are used in online content, like family-style YouTube.

The cabinet also intends on commissioning research into sites like Netflix, YouTube, Roblox, Fortnite, ChatGPT, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok and their impact on children.

Earlier this year, the government has backed an EU-wide minimum age for social media. D66, VVD and CDA agreed in their coalition agreement to push for an enforceable European minimum age of 15.