Dutch cabinet to ban phones for the entire school day from 2027

Mobile phones could be banned for the entire school day starting from January 1, 2027, under a sweeping child safety strategy presented by the Dutch cabinet. The proposal also introduces new restrictions on commercial kid-influencers and access to social media platforms.

Full-day school phone ban targeted for January 2027

Building on the nationwide classroom restrictions introduced in 2024, the Dutch government now wants to extend mobile phone bans across primary and secondary schools to cover the entire school day.

State Secretary for the Digital Economy and Sovereignty Willemijn Aerdts presented the new strategy letter to the Tweede Kamer (House of Representatives) on October 5, 2026. Through this plan, the cabinet aims to make "thuis of in de kluis" (at home or in the locker) the official national rule.

The tightened guideline would prohibit smartphones both during lessons and break times. The Ministry of Education is currently negotiating the finer details with the education sector in order to establish the exact implementation rules and custom exceptions.

While many schools across the Netherlands have already voluntarily banned phones during break times, turning the guideline into an official benchmark aims to create a consistent standard across the country.

New ban on kid-influencers and "finfluencers"

Under the government's new plan, producing commercial online content featuring or created by children under the age of 16 will be banned as child labour, with violators facing fines. The proposed rules also target financial influencers on social media, also known as "finfluencers", requiring anyone offering online financial advice to comply with official investment advisory regulations.

Beyond commercial content, the cabinet is advocating for an EU-wide minimum age of 15 for social media access. However, ministers have noted that implementing strict online age verification still faces major technical, legal, and organisational hurdles, as reported by RTL.

To address immediate risks, Dutch regulators are auditing popular services used daily by children, including ChatGPT, Fortnite, Netflix, and YouTube. They are focusing on identifying addictive design features, privacy risks, exposure to harmful content, and unsolicited contact from strangers.