Overview
- The federal agreement was announced Monday and will be published in the Diario Oficial de la Federación, after which schools have 30 days for assemblies and the restriction takes effect on 3 November 2026.
- For educación básica (pre‑school, primary and secondary) students may bring phones but must keep them stored and may use them only for emergencies or specific individual needs; use is barred during classes and at recess.
- Education media superior (upper secondary) institutions will set device rules with their school communities and higher‑education institutions retain autonomy to adopt their own policies.
- The decision followed months of regional forums and a national teacher consultation of 565,396 participants in which 81% supported new guidelines, and officials cited PISA 2025 findings about digital distraction while the OECD found no clear link to test scores.
- Key implementation details remain unresolved: states have up to 180 days to harmonize laws, the agreement does not yet define what counts as an emergency or how schools will enforce or store devices, and education experts urge paired digital‑literacy and wellbeing programs.