Overview

• South Korea's parliament approved a cross-party law banning phones and other digital devices during class nationwide, effective March 2026, formalizing earlier 2023 ministry guidance.
• The law allows limited exceptions for students with disabilities and for teacher-approved educational activities.
• Backers cited youth overuse of social media in a highly connected country where about 99% are online and 98% own smartphones, according to Pew data.
• In Buenos Aires, a city evaluation one year into restrictions found roughly 70% of primary and 61% of secondary students reported paying more attention and learning better.
• The Buenos Aires survey covered 2,738 respondents across 199 schools and reflects perceptions rather than shifts in overall screen time, which international studies have found may not decline without broader measures.