Overview

• An education decree mandates that from August 14 all private smartphones and smartwatches be powered off and stored out of sight in Bremen’s schools, with medical exemptions only for documented needs
• Senator Sascha Karolin Aulepp says the ban rests on research showing devices disrupt attention and will encourage face-to-face interaction among pupils
• A June Postbank survey found roughly 80 percent of parents support a complete school smartphone ban, including 32 percent who favor limited exceptions
• The German Teachers’ Association opposes an absolute prohibition, urging clear rules paired with guided digital literacy to foster responsible device use
• In Saarland a similar ban for grades 1–4 has been in force since June, while Bremerhaven schools maintain participatory, school-specific smartphone policies