Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Friday that the government has not yet decided whether smartwatches will be covered by its planned ban on private screens in Danish primary and lower secondary schools.
Frederiksen raised the question during a visit to Filstedvejens Skole in Aalborg, where she spoke with pupils and teachers. According to DR, she said it is no longer only the phone that distracts pupils, but also the watch.
Asked whether smartwatches would be included in the total ban, the prime minister said that was something the government would have to work out. She added that teachers at the school are the ones pointing to the problem. Frederiksen also repeated her view that screen use is doing damage to children.
The question follows a government press conference held Thursday. Education Minister Magnus Heunicke of the Social Democrats said pupils will have to hand in their phones at the start of the school day, DR reports. Smartwatches carry many of the same functions, including notifications, calls and access to apps such as TikTok, Messenger and Instagram.
Politiken reports that the government wants a total ban on mobile phones and other private screens in both public folkeskoler and private primary schools. As reported by TV 2, the ban is intended to apply in the classroom and in the schoolyard.
Announced after weak PISA results
The plan was presented in the wake of the latest PISA results for Danish 15-year-olds, which DR describes as lukewarm. The broadcaster has previously reported that Danish pupils performed worse in the new PISA survey. The government has linked the screen proposals directly to that outcome.
DR also notes that the proposal has already drawn criticism for addressing a problem many schools have handled themselves. Parties in the folkeskole sector have said the government is kicking in an open door, since the large majority of schools already ban mobile phones during the school day.
Denmark’s grundskole covers compulsory schooling for children from roughly age six to 16, including public schools and the frie grundskoler. Any legal change would apply across both types of institution, according to Politiken. The government has not published a timeline for legislation on smartwatches.
Frederiksen did not set a date for a decision on wearable devices during the Aalborg visit. Neither the prime minister nor Heunicke has said whether other devices, such as tablets or headphones, would be treated in the same way as phones under the proposal.
The government’s screen proposals form part of a wider package presented after the PISA figures. Further details on how a ban would be enforced in individual schools have not yet been announced.
