On her first day of school after summer break, Klara Ptak almost forgot her phone at home — perhaps the clearest sign that the student at Dalton High School in Alsdorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, has adapted to school life without a phone. At the end of April, her school introduced a strict mobile phone ban for all grades.

Ptak, now 17 years old, told DW: "I can't just glance at my phone anymore, or quickly send a message during break. At first, many students asked what the point of it was. But with time, many have come to realize that it's not so bad, and that it actually has quite a few benefits."

However, she says, opinions are divided: "The teachers are mostly in favor of it; the younger students accept it; but the older ones are not entirely happy."

Dalton High School is one of many schools in Germany that no longer wants to simply stand by and watch its students' excessive phone use. Following the Easter break, it launched a pilot program called "Smart ohne Phone" ("Smart without a phone"). Since the start of the program, students have been required to keep their phones tucked away in their bags the entire school day. If a student is caught using their phone, it is confiscated, and can only be retrieved the next day from the school office by their parents.

"A total of 51 phones were seized — that's a fairly significant number considering we have 700 students," says Ptak. "And you can really see a difference, especially in the younger kids. They used to stand around in a circle staring at their screens, and now they are playing football, badminton, or board games together. It's a dramatic shift."

No nationwide smartphone regulations

Germany is in the midst of a growing debate over how schools should handle student smartphone use, especially in the absence of a nationwide policy. Should phones be banned entirely, or should educators trust students to use them responsibly?

The German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina has proposed banning phones up to grade ten, and recommends keeping children under 13 away from the internet and social media altogether. Meanwhile, Hendrik Streeck, the federal commissioner for addiction and drug issues, supports age-based restrictions for social media — however, he opposes a blanket phone ban in schools.

The National Student Conference has also voiced opposition to a blanket smartphone ban. Instead, it advocates for actively promoting media literacy in schools, arguing that students should be equipped to navigate digital spaces responsibly rather than excluded from them.

And what about parents? Many are grappling with the smartphone dilemma. A survey commissioned by the Körber Foundation, and conducted by pollster Forsa, found that parents of children aged 12 to 18 cite their children's media consumption as their leading source of stress.

Martin Wüller, the Principal of Dalton High School, is one of the driving forces behind the smartphone ban and also the school's digital transformation. The school now provides tablets to all students from grade seven onward. Wüller welcomes the positive outcomes of the phone ban, which are backed by a thorough evaluation carried out with the involvement of students, parents, and teachers.

The survey showed that 90% of teachers support the ban — they observed noticeably improved social behavior and greater focus among students, especially the younger ones. Most lower-grade students (up to around age 13) also viewed the ban positively, while older students aged 16 to 19 reacted skeptically. Meanwhile, 85% of parents were in favor of the ban, saying their children became more independent and more communicative, even at home.

Fifth graders give up social media

About 100 kilometers further east, in Solingen, a unique project is going even further. Starting on the first day of school, all fifth-grade classes began a complete break from social media. Students aged ten and eleven have committed to staying off Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok — even at home. The initiative originated with Burkhard Brörken, a former school principal who now serves as education officer in Dusseldorf's district government.

"Solingen is a special case. We managed to get the principals of all 13 secondary schools on board very quickly. Even special needs schools are taking part in the project," Bröken told DW, adding: "We've created a unique educational partnership between schools, parents, and children."

A written declaration of intent was signed by all involved, affirming their commitment to collaborate on the project for one year. However, Brörken emphasizes that the agreement is not legally binding, which is important to him. He stresses that it is a voluntary initiative designed to support families — not to dictate parenting choices.

"Many parents recognize the severity of problematic usage habits, and some question why the initiative hadn't been introduced earlier," he said. "It's entirely understandable when children say, 'You're isolating me — I'm the only one without a phone, and all my friends have one.' Addressing that kind of pressure requires a coordinated community response; it's not something parents can realistically tackle alone."

Parents want guidance

Alev Kanowski is no stranger to such problems. Her daughter was one of the last in her class to get a phone at age nine. Kanowski told DW that many students get a smartphone when they are still in primary school, and peer pressure is intense. Not having a phone can place a child on the margins of their peer group.

Kanovski's daughter, now a fifth grader in Solingen, was initially reluctant about the social media ban. "She didn't come around until we explained how much phones distract kids in everyday life," Kanowski explained. She said she would like more education and guidance on the issue. "As a parent, I sometimes felt overwhelmed by the pressure to decide when she should get a phone or start using social media. Programs like this should be more widely available — they give kids a chance to grow up without constant digital distractions."

The new social media break initiative will be assessed in the coming months. Supporting its rollout are 50 trained 'media scouts' in schools — students aged 12 to 14 who, being close in age to the fifth graders, are well-positioned to understand their concerns. These scouts play a key role in helping younger students navigate online risks and adopt healthier digital habits. Burkhard Brörken hopes the project will have a positive resonance. He believes today's children are facing more challenges than previous generations.

"Schools are now seeing significantly more children and adolescents struggling with depression and anxiety — an issue that was far less visible a decade ago. Today, it's a reality in virtually every school. The COVID-19 pandemic intensified the crisis and accelerated a trend that was already well underway."

This article was originally written in German.

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