Reader’s Opinion | Starting in the fall, the schools in Helsinki will not be using phones during lessons

Helsinki father Tatu Virta drew attention in his opinion piece (HS 2.7.) to an important issue for all of us: children’s excessive use of mobile phones.

We have addressed this in the schools of Helsinki. During the last school year, the schools’ school rules have been updated so that from the beginning of the 2024–2025 school year, the use of mobile phones is not allowed in the city’s schools during lessons. Students’ cell phones can be required to be kept out of sight and undisturbed during the school day, taking into account the aspects of the law. However, with the teacher’s permission and instructions, cell phones can be used during the school day as an aid to learning, but this is always agreed separately and on a case-by-case basis. In this case, the use takes place under the guidance of the teacher.

We cooperate with Aivoliito within the framework of the National Brain Health Program 2023–2029. In cooperation with Aivoliitto, a pilot aimed at reducing the use of mobile phones was carried out at the elementary school in Arabia. Instead of using a cell phone, we looked for alternative ways of spending time together with adults. The goal was also to increase the awareness of children, young people and adults about the effects of using mobile phones and other smart devices on brain health. Good experiences have been gained from the pilot and our cooperation with the National Brain Health Program will expand in the coming school year.

Learning and the well-being that is essentially related to it have been raised in the development of education and training in Helsinki as something that we work towards. It is important to take care of rest, exercise and other common activities between people.

We want to promote the safe and healthy use of digital devices together with households. In autumn, schools in Helsinki organize parents’ evenings, where the theme is the healthy use of digital devices. We also discuss the students’ use of cell phones and other smart devices at school and in their free time. We hope for the coming school year the joy of learning, which is not disturbed by the excessive use of cell phones.

Outi Salo

Director of Basic Education, Department of Education and Training

The City of Helsinki

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