Has banning phones improved performance at Dutch schools?

In the Netherlands, the debate has already moved onto social media.

The Dutch government officially advises that children under 15 should stay off social media, and the new government coalition wants a Europe‑wide, enforceable 15+ minimum age backed by age‑verification. They argue that if states can restrict alcohol or gambling, they should also act when platforms are designed to be addictive.

The three parties in government hold only 66 of 150 seats in parliament, so they need support from others, and any binding rule on children accessing social media would have to be negotiated at EU level. But public opinion appears to be shifting in their favour.

A Unicef survey of more than 1,000 Dutch children and teenagers found that 69% favoured a social media ban for under‑18s.

In the same survey, 28% said platforms should be off‑limits for under‑12s altogether, arguing that younger children should “still be playing outside instead of on their phones” and describing social media as addictive, unsafe and bad for their mental health.

An annual social media survey by research agency Newcom found that 60% of 16-to-28-year-olds back an age limit, up from 44% a year ago.

This challenges the idea that young people are desperate to be permanently online.

Former education minister Koen Becking points to “growing evidence” that heavy social media use is bad for mental health and social interaction, saying Dutch data show children are more distracted and more anxious when they have access to devices.

Back at Cygnus school, Karel says he would be “a little devastated” if a social media ban was enforced.

“I’m a bit addicted, I’m scrolling on TikTok as soon as I wake up or checking messages from friends.”

But classmate Felix is more relaxed: “You’d get used to it and find other things to do, so I don’t think I would really mind.”

At the same time, the Dutch Research Council is now examining the unintended consequences of the smartphone ban, and whether being without a phone all day increases fear of missing out and triggers more intensive phone use after school.

The pupils all insist they are not bingeing more before and after school. But Felix confides that while many students still keep phones in their pockets – so long as teachers do not see – he believes keeping the screens out of sight has made them more present.

“People are talking more, going to the shops instead of just sitting in the cafeteria on their phones,” he says. “We socialise more; social connections have improved.”

For Dutch children, scrolling on smartphones is no longer a part of school life. The next question for the Netherlands, and perhaps, soon, for the UK, is whether access to the social media apps should be consigned to history too.