Overview

• Realschule Kempten in Bavaria stores students’ phones in grey boxes each morning under a full smartphone ban that University of Augsburg studies credit with reducing stress and improving focus
• Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’s Education Ministry under Simone Oldenburg recommends barring private smartphone use for grades 1–9 with clear exceptions and aims to formalize these guidelines by spring 2026
• Hamburg’s CDU is drafting state-level legislation to legally restrict smartphone use in schools, particularly calling for bans in primary grades
• The advocacy group Smarter Start ab 14 urges a blanket ban on smartphone and social media access for children under 14, and experts warn excessive screen time can foster addiction, harm brain development and self-esteem
• Opponents of device prohibitions caution that bans alone overlook the need for comprehensive media literacy education and parental responsibility in digital upbringing