Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Germany Tightens School Phone Rules: NRW Reaches Near-Universal Policies as Saxony-Anhalt Drafts Guideline

Police investigations into online coercion of minors sharpen the push for stricter school rules.

Overview

  • Saxony-Anhalt is preparing a school guideline with LISA that will outline legal parameters, age- and school-type recommendations, and participation processes, with publication targeted for the first half of 2026.
  • The state education ministry says schools in Saxony-Anhalt will continue to set their own device rules under house authority in coordination with school conferences, and no blanket ban has been announced.
  • A statewide survey in North Rhine–Westphalia finds that about half of secondary schools now prohibit smartphone use entirely during school operations, while the rest allow clearly limited use.
  • According to the NRW ministry, roughly 98% of public schools have binding phone rules and all secondary schools do, with many secondary schools using grade-based distinctions and primary schools generally barring private use.
  • Police in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern report investigations into cases where minors were urged online to self-harm, and expert recommendations from the Leopoldina to restrict social media for under-13s keep pressure on policymakers.