Banning Digital Devices in Schools: A Step Backward for Education?

On July 24th, 2025, the Madrid Regional Government announced a sweeping new regulation: the ban of individual digital devices in all publicly funded early childhood and primary schools, affecting over 500,000 students across more than 2,000 schools.

This decision—set to take full effect at the start of the 2025–2026 academic year—will phase out individual access to tablets, laptops, mobile phones, and even digital books for students aged 0–12. The only exceptions: strictly time-limited, shared, and supervised use of devices, or cases involving students with special educational needs.

The Rationale Behind the Ban

According to the regional government, the policy is a response to growing concerns about screen time and a desire to return to more "traditional" pedagogical methods — think handwriting, dictation, and printed materials. While the policy claims to support digital skill development in theory, it disconnects digital competence from device use, raising concerns among educators and experts about how those skills will actually be taught in practice.

What’s at Stake?

This ban isn’t just about screen time — it's about school autonomy, pedagogical flexibility, and the role of evidence in policymaking.

Critics point out that:

• The policy was implemented without consultation from teachers, unions, or the broader education community.

• It fails to differentiate between passive screen consumption and active, skill-building digital learning.

• It disproportionately impacts public and semi-public schools, potentially widening educational inequity.

As EdTech ecosystems across Europe work to deliver inclusive, evidence-informed innovation, the Madrid decision is a reminder of how quickly that progress can be rolled back — particularly when policy is shaped without collaboration or context.

A Call for Evidence-Based Dialogue

We at the European EdTech Alliance strongly support thoughtful, balanced approaches to digital use in education — approaches that consider health, pedagogy, equity, and the need to prepare students for the digital future.
We call on policymakers to:

• Engage with educators, researchers, and EdTech organisations

• Differentiate between screen time quality and quantity

• Preserve school autonomy and context-specific decision-making

The Madrid regulation may be regional, but the conversation it sparks must be continental.

Some key facts about the ban

This Applies to children aged 0–12, from nursery to 6th grade of primary school, which affects around 500,000 students across 2,000 public and publicly subsidized (concertado) schools. The ban becomes effective in the 2025–2026 school year.

Schools that currently use a 1:1 device model (one device per student) will have a one-year grace period to adapt, lasting until August 31, 2026.

According to the official decree (published July 24, 2025), the term "dispositivo digital" refers to any electronic device with a screen that allows interaction, content consumption, or information processing. This includes:

• Tablets

• Laptops (notebooks, Chromebooks, etc.)

• Desktop computers

• Mobile phones (smartphones)

• Digital whiteboards and projectors, when used for direct student interaction (though typically excluded when used only by teachers)

• eReaders or digital books, if used interactively

• Other connected devices (e.g., touch screens, VR headsets) depending on context

Exceptions and Flexibility

In secondary education (ESO), schools can set their own policies based on students' age and maturity.

Students with special educational needs may use devices without time restrictions, provided there's a supporting psychoeducational report.

Devices can be used for specific educational projects or optional subjects, if approved by the school and supervised by teachers.

We thank our members, EduTech Cluster, for their comprehensive review and presentation of this new regulation to the EEA members in July.