Estonia's schools must regulate kids' phone use, but no unified rules exist
Estonia requires schools to set their own rules on student phone use, leaving some with strict bans and others with more relaxed approaches.
This winter, the Ministry of Education rejected activists' calls to standardize policies nationwide, saying it is enough that schools regulate use on their own. Concerns vary from school to school, officials argue, and need tailored solutions.
"The broader aim is to support students' mental health, focus and learning," Merili Murakas, chief expert for inclusive education at the ministry, told ERR. She said schools should first define whether the problem is lack of movement, concentration issues or social relations, then put rules in place accordingly.
"Even the justice chancellor has noted that any agreements should be worked out together with the school community," Murakas continued, emphasizing that the ministry trusts Estonia's schools. "Schools are autonomous, they know what's happening and how to reach the necessary agreements. We don't support blanket bans for the whole day."
She noted that smartphones are a major part of kids' identity today, and that earlier generations' experiences don't apply.
Schools that need support will soon receive guidelines developed with the National Institute for Health Development (TAI), and the Estonian Association of Educational Technologists (EHTL) has also issued practical recommendations.
The ministry has no statistics yet on how schools are applying the new rules, as the regulation is still recent.
Tighter restrictions in elementary grades
Schools tend to restrict phone use most strictly in the younger grades.
At Tallinn Arte High School, principal Liina Altroff said phones aren't allowed at all in elementary classrooms.
"In the high school grades, it's harder to ban them, but during class they're banned unless the teacher has allowed otherwise and they're being used for educational purposes," she said.
Even so, Altroff doesn't believe in confiscating devices — or consider it legal.
"A phone is personal property — the student's, their family's — and not really something the school can take charge of," she said. "People need to take personal responsibility, and even younger students can manage."
The principal is against a nationwide phone ban, warning that every ban sparks deliberate pushback. "A phone is a source of information and a communication tool," she added.
Tallinn's Old Town Educational College (VHK), meanwhile, acknowledges the issue as a sensitive and complicated one.
"We see it coming like an avalanche, but as the justice chancellor also said, very restrictive rules can't really be imposed either," said principal Anu Nigesen. "As a school, we're caught between two front lines."
She said it would be easier in some ways if the ministry had introduced uniform rules for all schools. However, she acknowledged uniform rules might bring clarity, but could also encourage rule-breaking.
Teachers also see both the cultural value in smart devices and serious addiction problems among students.
Nigesen noted that international evidence on the success of blanket bans is scarce, admitting that info is very much needed.
At VHK, parents of younger students are encouraged to buy feature phones, or simple button phones, for their kids, and most children keep them in their bags during class. If they need to make a phone call, Nigesen added, they can.
In lockers for the day
At VHK, basic school students must silence their phones and keep them in their bags as well. The school doesn't want phones and the associated noise to bother students during recess either, but Nigesen admitted it's harder to manage phone use during recess in the upper grades.
For basic school students, lockers are available for all-day storage, though supervision is needed to make sure they're used.
"We try to keep an eye on this, but that requires a lot of time and energy," the principal acknowledged.
High schoolers are treated more as adults. "[They've] said themselves that the proximity of their phones and the constant background noise of information interferes with their focus," Nigesen said.
Several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have demanded national standards. Last fall, 35 scientists and researchers also signed an open letter urging the state to set clear rules for school smart device use by the start of the next school year.
The open letter also encouraged schools to prohibit personal device use during the day, with the exception of educational purposes or in special cases such as health-related needs.
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Editor: Aili Vahtla
