Chile's legislature approved a law on Tuesday that would ban the use of smartphones in schools. A large majority of Chile's Chamber of Deputies backed the bill. 

It now goes to President Gabriel Boric, who has expressed support for the policy, for final approval. The law would then go into effect in March 2026.

Education Minister Nicolas Cataldo said schools in Chile are currently plagued by smartphones that are "a scourge that... constitutes one of the main pandemics affecting our children and young people."

Conservative lawmaker Diego Schalper, one of the bill's  authors, celebrated the law's adoption, saying mobile phone use in children is associated with online addictions and "affects the educational process in classrooms."

The South American nation is the latest to attempt to regulate youth smartphone use through a school ban. 

Some 40% of schools worldwide have banned smartphone use to varying degrees as of 2024, up from 30% a year earlier, according to UNESCO.

These countries include Brazil, Finland, South Korea, Netherlands, Italy and France.

How would the law work?

Lawmaker Marcia Raphael said the bill sought to boost "concentration, performance, community life, and emotional health" in young people.

Under the bill, students will not be allowed to have a phone in classroom settings in both elementary and secondary schools.

Exceptions are only available for students with special educational needs, in case of an emergency, or if a student has a medical condition that requires constant monitoring via a smartphone device.

Aside from the emergency exception, all other exceptions for cellphone use will require the student bring a certificate from a relevant authority to justify the claim.

The bill is the work of years of lobbying by parents and teachers in Chile who argued that the use of smartphones impairs students' learning and emotional development.

According to a recent international study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, over half of all Chilean students reported that digital devices disrupted their learning process.

"We are advancing a cultural change for children and adolescents who today, more than ever, need to see each other's faces again, socialize during recess, and regain concentration to further boost learning," Education Minister Cataldo said.

Edited by: Sean Sinico