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Does Taiwan Ban Phones in Schools? What Schools Need to Know in 2026
Not nationally. Taiwan's 2019 Ministry of Education guidance says students' phones stay off during school hours except for teacher-led learning or emergencies. A School Health Act amendment passed in August 2026 lets each school manage or restrict devices.
Schools at senior high level and below follow 2019 ministry guidelines on mobile device use on campus. Phones should be off during school hours, except for teacher-guided learning and emergency contact. Each school must agree its own rules with teachers, parents and students. In August 2026 the Legislative Yuan amended the School Health Act to give schools legal authority to guide, manage or restrict mobile device use.
In 2025 the ministry proposed stricter national rules: central storage of phones in elementary and junior high schools, and school-wide rules agreed with families at senior high. The minister said they would start in September 2025, but after student protests and a June 2025 hearing they were postponed. Unions are now pressing the ministry to issue national rules under the new law.
Practice varies by school. Some already collect phones centrally; one senior high school was reported using a phone safe. Options discussed include pouches, locked cabinets and classroom boxes. Teachers' unions warn that without national rules each school will run its own system, adding to teachers' workload. Rules apply to students' own devices, not school-issued learning devices.
Whatever the rule in Taiwan requires, lockable pouches let students keep their own phone, locked, from the first bell to the last, so junior and senior high schools do not collect, store or answer for devices. Before The Internet ships lockable phone pouches and unlocking bases worldwide, including to Taiwan, 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
Is there a national phone ban in Taiwan's schools?
No. The 2025 draft for central storage was shelved. Schools follow 2019 guidance and, since August 2026, have legal authority to restrict devices themselves.
Can a school collect phones at the start of the day?
Yes, if its own rules provide for it. The August 2026 School Health Act amendment confirms schools may manage or restrict device use.
Will national rules follow?
Possibly. After the amendment the ministry said it would assess whether to update its phone management rules, and unions are calling for this.
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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