Overview
- A federal regulation restricting the use of cellphones and similar devices in public and private basic-education schools went into effect nationwide on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
- The rule bars phones during class time and recess but allows planned pedagogical uses, emergency contact, and other community exceptions that schools must apply locally.
- The Education Ministry and President Claudia Sheinbaum launched a Jornada Nacional de Lectura and announced December activities to promote traditional games as alternatives to screen time.
- SEP officials stress the rollout will be informational rather than punitive, with no school-by-school surveillance and guidance materials including a decálogo for families and schools.
- Local governments and parents have backed the move in interviews, municipalities like Zapopan are offering play and parental-guidance programs, and schools are still clarifying day-to-day rules and emergency procedures to families.