Blog · Schools
Ireland's School Phone Ban and the €9 Million Storage Fund
Since June 2024, Irish primary schools must ban phone use, and post-primary schools must have a policy restricting phones across the full school day. The government gave post-primary schools €9 million for storage solutions such as pouches, lockers and boxes.
The Department of Education issued its guidance on 13 June 2024. For primary schools the rule is a ban on phone use during the school day. For post-primary schools, each school must have a policy that restricts phones across the whole day, including breaks, not just in class. The Minister announced €9 million in funding alongside the guidance so post-primary schools could buy storage, and listed pouches, lockers and boxes as options.
The reasons were students' wellbeing, cyberbullying, exposure to harmful content and the effect of phones on socialising. Schools that had already gone phone-free were cited for calmer corridors and more conversation at lunch. Like most countries, Ireland left the method to schools, which means principals have had to decide how to spend the money in a way that will still work in five years.
That is where the choice between buying and paying recurring fees matters. Funding that arrives once is best spent on equipment the school owns outright. Lockable pouches let students keep their own phones all day, locked, so the school is not storing devices or responsible for them, and the pouches open at a magnetic base at the end of the day. Lockers take space and rely on compliance, and collection boxes put the school in charge of hundreds of phones.
We have run events in Dublin and ship to Ireland from Toronto. Before The Internet sells lockable phone pouches to schools outright. You pay once, the pouches and unlocking bases belong to the school, and there is 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
Are phones banned in Irish schools?
Yes for primary schools, which must ban phone use. Post-primary schools must have a policy restricting phones across the whole school day under guidance issued in June 2024.
What was the €9 million for?
The government gave post-primary schools €9 million in 2024 to buy phone storage solutions, such as lockable pouches, lockers or boxes, to support the new restrictions.
Can Irish schools buy pouches outright?
Yes. Before The Internet sells lockable phone pouches to schools outright, with no subscription, so one-off funding goes on equipment the school owns.
Related reading
England's school phone ban · School phone rules in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland · School phone pouch cost
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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