The Czech government has approved a draft law that would ban mobile phones and other electronic communication devices, including smartwatches, across the country's schools, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš's cabinet announced.
The ban would take effect on 1 September 2027 and apply to all students through the end of nine-year compulsory schooling, covering kindergartens, primary schools, and lower grades of multi-year grammar schools and conservatories. Education Minister Robert Plaga argued the measure would encourage children to interact more during breaks. The restriction would extend to break times, school canteens, and after-school programs.
The proposal requires approval from both chambers of parliament to become law. Martin Kupka of the opposition Civic Democratic Party dismissed the ban as a populist measure, advocating instead for digital media education and providing each student with a tablet. Children's Rights Ombudsman Martin Beneš called the legislation unnecessary, saying schools can already regulate device use through their own rules and warning the ban could foster negative attitudes toward school.