Multiple regions ban cellphones in schools

Multiple regions across China have enacted legislation banning primary and secondary school students from bringing mobile phones onto school campuses, amid growing concerns over classroom disruption and the impact of excessive smartphone use on young people's healthy development.

The latest to join the list is Chongqing, where the municipal legislature issued a regulation that took effect on Sept 1, authorizing schools to prohibit students from carrying smart terminal products, including mobile phones, onto school premises or using them on campus.

Chongqing, however, is not the first region to introduce such restrictions. In 2022, the Fujian Provincial People's Congress passed a regulation prohibiting students from bringing mobile phones and smartwatches into classrooms.

In 2024, the local legislatures of Guangzhou, Guangdong province, and Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, both adopted decisions to strictly limit primary and secondary school students from bringing smart terminal products onto school campuses.

At the national level, the Ministry of Education issued a notice in 2021 stating that students should, in principle, not bring personal mobile phones to campus. It also said schools should not use mobile phones to assign homework or require students to complete homework using mobile phones.

In 2025, the ministry further tightened the rules, explicitly stating that "bringing mobile phones and other electronic products into classrooms is strictly prohibited" and encouraging students and parents to jointly participate in "screen-off initiatives".

The restrictions have also won support from teachers and parents.

Yan Yun, a primary school teacher in Wuhan, Hubei province, said her school has completely banned the use of mobile phones, and students do not bring them to school.

She said she does not support students using cellphones or smartwatches and believes parents should also regulate their children's use of such devices at home.

Her concerns are echoed by many parents. A survey by the China Youth Daily Social Survey Center in 2025 found that 91.9 percent of parents had conflicts with their children over phone use during the summer break.

The survey also found that 26.1 percent of primary and secondary school students used their phones for more than four hours a day on average during the holidays. Watching short videos ranked first among their phone activities, at 56.7 percent, followed by gaming at 43.7 percent and online chatting at 38.4 percent.

However, the relationship between smartphone use and students' mental health is not simply one of cause and effect. The key lies in how, how much and at what age the devices are used, according to Xu Gaoyang, a psychotherapist at Beijing Anding Hospital of Capital Medical University.

On the risk side, fragmented attention, sleep disruption, online socializing that can lead to offline loneliness and cyberbullying are among the mental health concerns associated with smartphone use, Xu said.

On the other hand, smartphones can also provide relaxation and creative outlets through music, games, short videos and painting platforms, which may support psychological well-being. The crucial question is how the devices are used, he added.

For younger children, the brain is not yet fully mature, and many developmental critical periods are still underway. Excessive phone use may hinder development or cause children to miss important developmental windows, making remediation more difficult and costly later in life, Xu said.

To mitigate these effects, Xu suggested setting screen-free periods, engaging in deep reading and practicing mindfulness meditation. Prevention and protection, he stressed, are equally important.