School pupils in Oulu will not be allowed to use their phones at any point in the school day, starting with the new school year in August.
National legislation changes in August to ban phones during lessons, but Oulu is going further and taking the opportunity to ban smart devices at mealtimes and recess as well.
"The law offers the opportunity for local authorities to consider recess, lunch and time between lessons," said Mika Penttilä, who heads up education services in the city.
"There is a lot of evidence that the use of mobile devices in leisure time distracts pupils from learning and school life."
Oulu is introducing the new rules in stages. First, pupils will be banned from using phones during lessons and at mealtimes. That happens as soon as the new law comes into force on 1 August.
From January 2026, the ban will broaden to cover recess as well.
In some Oulu schools, the full ban will be implemented from August in any case. Penttilä said the city's international school is one of the schools taking that decision.
The changes have been written into the regulations around schools in Oulu, according to Penttilä.
The city will also initiate discussions about phone usage with staff and parents in an effort to create a new normal of phone-free recreation time.
"We want to ensure that instead of always digging out the phone for example to recess, there would be some alternative activities that become part of the everyday routine," said Penttilä. "In that way, we wouldn't be putting the phone ban front and centre."
If a pupil breaches the rules, they and their parents will be invited in for a discussion.
