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Slovakia's School Phone Ban: What Schools Need to Know in 2026
Yes. Since 1 January 2025, Slovak law bans phones for primary pupils in grades 1 to 3 during lessons, breaks and on school grounds. From grade 4, phones are allowed only when the curriculum requires them or a teacher approves.
The rule comes from Act No. 290/2024, which amended the School Act from 1 January 2025. It covers personal phones, smartwatches and tablets in primary schools (základné školy) and the lower grades of eight-year gymnáziá. Grades 1 to 3 have a complete ban. From grade 4, use is allowed only when the curriculum requires it or a teacher allows it for learning. Pupils with health needs, such as diabetes monitoring, are exempt. School-owned devices are not covered.
Education Minister Tomáš Drucker announced the measure in April 2024, presenting it as support for children's mental health. Parliament passed the amendment later in 2024 and it applied from the second half of the 2024/25 school year. The minister later said the rule had not caused major problems, and the Slovak model has been cited in Czech debates on a similar ban.
The ministry recommends that pupils hand phones to teachers before lessons or put them in lockable storage boxes, returning them after classes. Schools choose the method and write it into their school rules, and the ministry encourages them to explain the reasons to parents and pupils. A Slovak legal commentary notes that a teacher may take a phone during lessons but must give it back once lessons end.
Whatever the rule in Slovakia requires, for every základná škola, 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 Slovakia, 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
Does the ban cover breaks?
For grades 1 to 3, yes: the ban covers lessons, breaks and school grounds. Older pupils may use phones only when the curriculum or a teacher allows.
Does it apply to secondary schools?
It applies to primary schools and the lower grades of eight-year gymnáziá. Other secondary schools set rules in their school rules.
How should schools store phones?
The ministry recommends collection by teachers or lockable storage boxes, with phones returned after classes, but schools choose the method.
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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