A group including experts and NGOs has started a petition to urge the government and the Education Ministry to take urgent action to impose legal restrictions on the use of mobile phones and other digital devices in schools.

While some countries have banned smart phones in schools and some schools in Slovenia have had such a ban for many years, there is no general rule and each school copes with the situation in its own way.

Now a group called Odklopi.net (Disconnect.net) has started a petition to have restrictions set down by law. They will be collecting signatures until 30 March, but the initiative has already been signed by President Nataša Pirc Musar and several organisations.

The group are not advocating for an outright ban on smart devices, instead urging a more thoughtful and structured approach to digitalisation in schools guided by best practice from other countries where similar measures have already been taken.

"Urgency" to act

Vlasta Juršak, project leader at the Kranj Centre for Sustainable Rural Development and the petition's initiator, described the campaign as a response to the growing concerns about technology use in society.

"We have an opportunity to take meaningful action so that our children can grow up in a peaceful environment, attend schools where they can focus on learning, and play in a setting that supports their health and safety," she told reporters on 20 February.

Mojca Mihelič, the head of the Association of Headteachers, said there was an urgency to act. Digital devices are making children more socially withdrawn, dehumanising them, and causing distress in ways that previous generations never experienced, she said.

She warned that schools are increasingly struggling to impose restrictions. "This issue must be addressed by law, as it is already having a direct impact on children's health. Without proper regulation, we can no longer guarantee a safe and supportive learning environment," she said.

Range of negative effects

Marko Pokorn, medical director of the Ljubljana Paediatric Clinic, outlined the negative effects of excessive screen time on children. He pointed to delayed speech and language development, weakened social skills, attention disorders and hyperactivity, disrupted sleep patterns, myopia, and a lack of physical activity.

"The most concerning issue we are seeing is the impact on mental health and suicidal tendencies. Excessive screen exposure can also lead to digital addiction, the spread of inappropriate content, and cyberbullying," he warned.

The petition has also been endorsed by the youth charity the Association of Friends of Slovenian Youth (ZPMS). Its president, Darja Groznik, noted that for a year, they had been urging decision-makers to restrict smartphone use in schools, but no progress had been made.

"Clearly, broader public engagement is needed to bring about real change," she said. The organisation has also proposed declaring 20 February a national "phone-free day".

Anthropologist Dan Podjed from the Institute of Slovenian Ethnology argued that private smartphones have no place in the classroom. But the group want children to acquire digital literacy and learn more about IT and computing.

Public discussion planned in March

The Education Ministry responded by saying that the ban is already incorporated in the internal rules of most schools in Slovenia. It added that a legal ban alone would not tackle the problem of excessive and uncontrolled use of mobile phones and other digital devices by children and adolescents.

The ministry will initiate a discussion with experts and general public in March about proposals to address this issue, which will be finalised shortly and include legal restrictions on the use of smartphones and other digital devices on school premises.

Rise in peer violence

One of the reasons for the petition is an increase in peer violence among teenagers, which is often recorded by phones and shared on social media.

In a recent such incident a footage circulated on social media showed two primary school pupils engaged in a violent confrontation in the coastal town of Izola with many other students watching and recording the fight on their phones.

A school then informed parents that that pupils from three primary schools in Izola had allegedly formed a club to organise fights for an audience.

A 2024 survey by Safe.si, an awareness-raising point on safe use of the internet that is part of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Ljubljana, showed that 65% of girls and 55% of boys in the final three years of primary school have experienced at least one form of cyber bullying.