Blog · Schools
Chile's School Phone Ban: What Schools Need to Know in 2026
Yes. Since the start of the 2026 school year in March, Ley 21.801 bans students' personal phones in schools at every level, from preschool (parvularia) to secondary (media). Preschool has no exceptions; older students can be authorised for set reasons.
Ley 21.801 amends the General Education Law and was published in the Diario Oficial on 11 February 2026. It covers phones, tablets and connected smartwatches in public and private schools offering parvularia, básica and media. The head teacher can authorise use for certified special educational needs, emergencies, medical monitoring, planned teaching activities, or temporary family safety requests.
The Senate approved the bill in August 2025 and the Chamber of Deputies on 2 December 2025. It applied from the start of the 2026 school year in March. Schools had until 30 June 2026 to update their internal rules (reglamento interno) through a participatory process, under Circular 181 from the Superintendencia de Educación. A full evaluation is due in March 2030.
The law restricts use rather than carrying a phone. Each school's reglamento must list the breaches and the formative or disciplinary measures. The first semester focused on support, with closer oversight from the second. The Minister, Nicolás Cataldo, said teachers should also avoid phones in class and in the playground. Recess details are left largely to schools.
Whatever Ley 21.801 and your reglamento interno require, lockable pouches let students keep their own phone, locked, from the first bell to the last, so colegios and liceos do not collect, store or answer for devices. Before The Internet ships lockable phone pouches and unlocking bases worldwide, including to Chile, 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
When did Chile's school phone ban start?
At the start of the 2026 school year in March. The law was published on 11 February 2026, and schools had until 30 June 2026 to update their internal rules.
What exemptions does Ley 21.801 allow?
With the head teacher's authorisation: certified special educational needs, emergencies, medical monitoring, planned teaching use (not in parvularia), and temporary family safety requests.
Who enforces the rule?
Each school applies it through its reglamento interno. The Superintendencia de Educación issues instructions and oversees compliance.
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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