The Dutch Banned Phones: Problems Fell From 62% To 29%

England's mobile-phone guidance became statutory this summer and applies from 1 September — the whole day, lessons to lunch. The Netherlands got there two years earlier with a softer rule, then had its ministry measure what happened. Sixty-two per cent of secondary schools called phones a problem before; twenty-nine per cent after. Concentration up, results barely — and some teachers reporting more physical bullying at break. What transfers, what doesn't, and the gap England has to plan for.

Sources: Ministerie van OCW (Netherlands) — Monitoringsonderzoek Landelijke afspraak mobiele telefoons en andere devices, factsheet (Kohnstamm Instituut & Oberon, 3 July 2025) — https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/rapporten/2025/07/03/bijlage-2-factsheet-eindrapport-monitoring-landelijke-afspraak-mobiele-telefoons-en-andere-devices-in-de-klas-kohnstamm-instituut-oberon ; Eurydice, 26 June 2025 — https://eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu/news/netherlands-ban-mobile-phones-classroom ; DfE — Mobile phones in schools (statutory from 29 June 2026) — https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mobile-phones-in-schools/mobile-phones-in-schools

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