Sweden Banned Smartphones in Schools Two Years Ago. The Results Are Not What Either Side Predicted.

Sweden's national ban on smartphones in primary and secondary schools, implemented in August 2023, has produced measurable improvements in classroom attention and a reduction in cyberbullying incidents — but has also generated an unexpected finding: a significant increase in smoking and vaping among secondary students during break times, as the phone-free periods created an attention vacuum that was filled differently than anyone modelled.