Mexico will implement nationwide restrictions on mobile phone use in schools on November 3, 2026, when President Claudia Sheinbaum says new rules will be implemented.
The measure will cover basic education, including elementary and secondary schools; this is to prevent students from being distracted by smartphones in schools and to help focus on learning and socializing.
Sheinbaum said the policy is about recapturing creativity and not getting people addicted to screens particularly when they’re connected to social media.
She has previously raised concerns about the amount of time children and teenagers spend on mobile devices and how that could impact attention, learning, and social interaction.
The new regulation follows consultations with teachers and education authorities across Mexico. In August, the government announced a consultation involving more than one million teachers from schools across the country’s 32 states to get views on regulating mobile phone use.
Mexico bans cell phones in all elementary and secondary schools.
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“The goal is to recover creativity and avoid indiscriminate use of phones, which in relation to social media can have very negative effects.”
- Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum pic.twitter.com/YTZa6flmUq
According to Mexico’s Education Ministry, the government has been working with state authorities on nationwide agreements regarding mobile phone and screen usage in schools.
Under the proposed rules, students in basic education will not be given mobile phones during the school day. For upper-secondary education, the objective is responsible and safe use, and the limitations on use will be in the hands of the institutions.
At the higher-education level, the government will focus on responsible and safe use, not on the same restrictions.
Sheinbaum has previously explained that the policy is not going to destroy mobile phones entirely. The government wants schools to be places in which students can concentrate on class and engage with their peers without being distracted by smartphones.
In a press conference on September 11, she said phones in schools can distract students even if devices are actually being used for taking notes.
The Mexican government has also linked the initiative to wider discussions around children’s use of social media and digital platforms. The goal is to establish healthier school environments and provide a more conscious and responsible relationship between children and technology, education officials have said.
The nationwide regulation is a major step forward in Mexico’s bid to create clearer rules around smartphones in educational institutions. Details will be provided in the next few weeks and education sessions will be held with schools and communities before the rules come into force in November.
