Blog · Schools
Bulgaria's School Phone Ban: What Schools Need to Know in 2026
Partly. Since 2016, Bulgarian law has banned pupils from using mobile phones during lessons, but not during breaks. A full-day ban planned for January 2026 had not become law by October 2026, so wider limits depend on each school.
The rule is in the Pre-school and School Education Act, adopted in 2015 and applied since 2016. Pupils may not use mobile phones during lessons. The same provisions bar gambling, tobacco, alcohol and weapons, and require every school to publish its own ethical code. The law does not cover breaks, so schools that want phone-free breaks do it through their own internal rules.
In 2025 the education ministry proposed amendments to cover the whole school day, allowing phones, smartwatches and tablets only for teaching, health or emergencies. The bill passed first reading and Minister Krasimir Valchev expected it in force in January 2026, but we found no record of it passing second reading. On 1 July 2026 a parliamentary committee also declined to back a GERB-SDS bill for a complete ban (6 for, 14 abstentions).
Many schools have gone further on their own. In November 2025 about 800 Bulgarian schools already restricted phones beyond the legal minimum through head teacher decisions. The ministry has issued no single method, so each school decides how to collect and store devices. Minister Valchev has cited a study placing Bulgaria second out of 88 countries for pupils' screen time as a reason for tighter limits.
Whatever the rule in Bulgaria requires, lessons only or all day, lockable pouches let students keep their own phone, locked, from the first bell to the last, so staff do not collect, store or answer for devices. Before The Internet ships lockable phone pouches and unlocking bases worldwide, including to Bulgaria, 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 have, and we will beat it.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a full-day phone ban in Bulgarian schools?
Not by law, as of October 2026. The law bans phones during lessons only, though a school can set a stricter rule in its own internal rules.
What happened to the ban planned for January 2026?
The ministry's bill passed first reading in 2025, but we found no record of it completing second reading. A separate GERB-SDS bill was not backed by a parliamentary committee on 1 July 2026.
Can a Bulgarian school ban phones during breaks?
Yes. Around 800 schools already did so by November 2025 through their own decisions, choosing their own way to store devices.
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.
Planning a phone-free school?
Buying for next term or next year? Send your student numbers and target start date. A person replies within 24 hours with a real figure for your budget, and we ship worldwide.
Name
Work email
Phone
Event date
Headcount
Not sure what you need yet?
Keep reading
Trade shows and launches
Phone-free concerts and festivals