On August 27, local time, the amendment clearly stipulated that starting from the new semester in March 2026, primary school students, junior high school students, and high school students in South Korea are in principle prohibited from using smart devices such as mobile phones during class.However, considering special needs, students with disabilities or special education needs can use smart devices as auxiliary tools.
At the same time, students can also use smart devices during class for educational purposes or in response to emergencies.
Some South Korean lawmakers, parents and teachers say that the use of smartphones has had a negative impact on the academic performance of Korean students and has taken up a lot of time that should be used for studying.
However, this amendment also caused a lot of controversy. Some questioning voices pointed out that the specific implementation method of the ban is not yet clear, and it is not certain whether it can truly effectively solve the problem of students' mobile phone addiction.
It is worth mentioning that on August 25, Beijing time, multiple media reported that Toyoaki City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan is currently drafting a regulation.
The regulations require all citizens to use mobile phones, computers and other 3C products "no more than 2 hours a day" after studying and working.
According to the bill, primary school students are required to stop using their mobile phones after 9pm every night, while secondary school students are required to stop using their mobile phones after 10pm every night.
In addition, the regulations also encourage families to develop regulations for the use of computers and game consoles. It is reported that this will be the first local regulation in Japan to explicitly legislate the use of electronic products.
Previously, the western region of Kagawa Prefecture in Japan promulgated a groundbreaking regulation in 2020, stipulating that children's play time should not exceed 1 hour per day on weekdays and 90 minutes per day during school holidays.
The regulations also recommend that children aged 12 to 15 should not use smartphones after 9pm, while children aged 15 to 18 can extend their use until 10pm.
