Will South Korea go back to banning phones in classrooms?

South Korea is mulling banning smartphones in schools, as the government weighs in on a bill proposed by the ruling party that would prohibit students from using personal digital devices during class.

According to the National Assembly and education circles on Sunday, Rep. Cho Jung-hun of People Power Party introduced a bill in August to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to restrict the use of smartphones in schools, adding Article 20.3 on guidance on the student's use of cellphones.

“Students shall not use smart devices on school grounds. However, one can use it when permitted by the school principal and teachers for educational purposes or to respond to emergencies,” the article states.

Such a proposal comes amid growing concerns over young students' dependence on smartphones, leading to various mental health issues, the lawmaker explained.

Games and short-form stimulating videos being popular with young people, smartphone dependence has increased in recent years, leading to depression and anxiety disorders.

Joint research from Hanyang University Hospital with some 50,000 teenagers found that those who use smartphones for more than four hours a day are more likely to develop mental health problems. Prolonged smartphone use was linked to a range of mental and physical issues, including neuropsychiatric disorders, insomnia, blurred vision and musculoskeletal disorders.

The research also revealed that teens who used their smartphones for more than four hours a day were found to have higher levels of stress as well as higher rates of drug use, and were more likely to suffer from suicidal impulses than teens who used their smartphones for less than four hours.

Health Insurance and Review Assessment Service's recent data supports the claim, as the number of psychiatric visits for those under the age of 18 has skyrocketed 65 percent over the past four years. About 250,000 students visited hospitals in the first half of this year alone, accounting for 80 percent of last year's total.

With studies showing evident side effects of smart devices, the National Human Rights Commission reversed its long-lasting stance last month, dismissing a complaint filed last year that collecting and storing students' cellphones during school hours is a violation of human rights.

In 2014, the committee ruled that collecting students' cellphones violates the freedom of students, saying that while it acknowledges the negative effects of cellphones, they are not just communication devices, but have many positive aspects that help people communicate with others.

This time, however, the human rights watchdog noted that human rights violations caused by allowing cellphones in class, such as illegal filming of classes, outweighed the human rights violations caused by the simple collection of the devices.

The violation of teachers' teaching rights and students' learning rights due to conflicts and disciplinary controversies caused by the use of cellphones outweighed human rights guarantees of allowing cellphone use. It was also judged that students were too preoccupied with their phones to interact properly with other students.

Following the National Human Rights Commission's recent decision, the government is expected to speed up the process of passing the bill, as politicians and parents agree on the need to limit students' smartphone use.

“In recent years, social networking services have adversely affected the development of students' intelligence, cognition and mental health, and students have been defenselessly exposed to harmful and illegal content and cyber (sexual) violence,” the Education Ministry said, adding they strongly agree with the purpose of the amendment to legally restrict students from using smart devices on school grounds.

Ahead of the nationwide implementation of digital textbooks using artificial intelligence next year, education authorities are weighing in on limiting smartphone use in schools is necessary to address concerns about overdependence on digital devices.

Some parents also welcomed such restrictions claiming "this is not just a regulation, but a solution that will protect our children's lives and recover 'real' childhood," in a teacher-parent joint statement in September.

Meanwhile, banning smartphones has become a global trend, as countries like France, the United States and the United Kingdom are already implementing policies to reduce digital overdependence.

France is currently piloting a smartphone ban in some schools to create lockers to separate phones and is considering expanding it to all primary and secondary schools next year. In September, California enacted a law that restricts or bans students from using smartphones at school, mandating schools to establish a policy by July 2026 to prohibit or restrict student use of smartphones at school and to review the policy every five years.

However, there are also concerns about restricting students' smartphone use through laws rather than school rules.

“I think it fails to recognize students as independent entities,” said Rep. Ko Min-jung of the Democratic Party of Korea. "They should be encouraged to make rules within the school or create a plan among themselves through student self-governance activities.”