Singapore has announced a sweeping expansion of its restrictions on smartphone and smartwatch use in secondary schools, set to take effect from January.
The move is aimed at shielding students from digital distractions and reinforcing academic focus as part of a growing global crackdown on excessive screen time.
Under the current policy, students are prohibited from using mobile devices during classroom lessons. However, the new regulations will extend this ban to include all non-lesson periods as well.
Students will now be required to keep their phones secured in designated storage areas such as lockers or school bags throughout the entire school day.
In an official statement released on Sunday, the Ministry of Education said the initiative is intended “to create a learning environment that priorities academic engagement, nurtures healthy screen-use habits, and safeguards students’ overall well-being.”
The ministry further warned that excessive screen exposure among young people is increasingly displacing essential activities such as sleep, physical exercise, and meaningful social interaction with family and peers.
Limited exemptions will be granted strictly on a case-by-case basis where smartphone use is deemed necessary for educational purposes.
The toughened stance reflects a wider international movement against digital dependency in classrooms. According to UNESCO, nearly 40 percent of education systems worldwide have now implemented bans on smartphones in schools.
Meanwhile, Australia is preparing to take an unprecedented step next week by introducing the world’s first nationwide ban on social media access for children under the age of 16.
UNESCO has also highlighted some of the strictest global measures, including those enforced in China’s city of Zhengzhou, where schools require written parental consent proving that a mobile phone is genuinely needed for academic reasons.