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Austria's School Phone Ban: What Schools Need to Know in 2026
Yes. Since 1 May 2025, pupils in Austrian schools up to the 8th grade (Schulstufe) may not use mobile phones, smartwatches or similar devices during the school day, breaks and school events included. From grade 9, schools may set their own rules.
The ban comes from an amendment to the federal School Regulations (Schulordnung 2024), in force since 1 May 2025. It applies in all school types up to the 8th Schulstufe, for the whole school day and school events. Teachers may allow devices for learning, and there are fixed exemptions for medical needs. School partnership bodies can agree age-appropriate solutions, such as phone use at lunch in set zones. From grade 9, class or pupil rules are possible.
Before 2025, schools regulated phones through their own house rules. Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr announced a national ban up to the 8th grade in early 2025, saying a federal rule would give schools firmer backing for enforcement. The ministry explained the change in Rundschreiben no. 17/2025, and the ban took effect on 1 May 2025, before the end of the 2024/25 school year.
Teachers may confiscate devices until the end of the school day, and repeated breaches or problematic content can mean a device is handed back only to parents. On multi-day trips such as sports weeks, limited use is allowed with set times to call home. Six weeks in, student, teacher and parent representatives reported largely conflict-free implementation, using signs and parent letters.
Whatever Austria's School Regulations require, lockable pouches let students keep their own phone, locked, from the first bell to the last, so the Mittelschule or AHS does not collect, store or answer for devices. Before The Internet ships lockable phone pouches and unlocking bases worldwide, including to Austria, and can print the school's name or crest on them. Schools buy them outright: one price, no subscription, lease or per-student annual licence. Send us your student numbers and any written quote you already have, and we will beat it.
Frequently asked questions
Does the ban cover breaks?
Yes. It covers the whole school day and school events, though school partnership bodies can allow use in set zones, for example at lunch.
Can teachers confiscate phones?
Yes. Teachers can keep a device until the end of the school day, and repeat cases can require parents to collect it.
What about pupils in grade 9 and above?
The national ban stops at the 8th grade. From grade 9, schools can set class or pupil-specific rules.
Related reading
School phone bans by country · Phone-free schools toolkit · How to roll out phone pouches in a school
Written by the team at Before The Internet, a Toronto-based phone-free company that rents lockable phone pouches for events across North America and sells them to schools and venues worldwide, shipping purchases to any country.
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