As students and parents settle back into the school routine, the rhythms of summer - often including unlimited access to mobile phones and social media - need to shift into a mode that supports focus, learning and wellbeing.

From Helsinki to Sydney, educators are discovering that managing technology wisely is as vital as the lessons themselves.

Finland’s Parliament earlier this year passed legislation limiting the use of smartphones in schools, joining a wide range of nations that are rethinking their approach to technology in education.

Governments and schools in Denmark, Australia, Brazil, South Korea, the UK and a number of US states are placing limits and bans on students’ personal digital devices. France has had such limits in effect since 2018, and Japan since 2009.

Sweden has reversed course on digital learning, shifting back to physical books, pencils and paper. Four municipalities in Finland have decided to automatically shut off school-issued laptops from 10pm to 6am to support students’ sleep.

A global reality check

These shifts reflect a growing realisation that digital technologies are transforming education by offering unprecedented access to knowledge, collaboration and creativity - but if used incorrectly they can pose unforeseen risks to the learning and mental health of young people.

If schools integrate digital tools strategically, educators can enhance the learning experience, argues Andreas Schleicher, the OECD’s director for education and skills.

A study he cites of 730 15-year-olds in Germany suggests that digital technologies - if used correctly in the classroom - can enhance individual learning, making it more engaging and effective.

The key is ensuring that technologies are used in appropriate situations that benefit students and enhance the learning experience. Currently this is not always the case.

For example, in 2023 and 2024 the US surgeon general cited evidence that social media, which children can often access even on school-issued digital devices, “can have a profound risk of harm to the mental health and wellbeing of children and adolescents” at a scale that is “no less urgent or widespread than those posed by unsafe cars, planes or food”.

And a 2022 OECD study found that at least 30 per cent of 15-year-olds across 85 nations reported being distracted by digital devices (including laptops and tablets) in all or most of their math lessons, while a 2023 UNESCO report noted that “intensive technology use negatively impacts student performance”.

Digital wellbeing as a core skill

To ensure that learners thrive in this new era of mass digitalisation and AI, we must recognise digital wellbeing as a core 21st-century skill, teaching students not just how to employ technology, but how to master their use of it.

At the International Baccalaureate, we’re working with our 6,000 schools worldwide to tackle these issues.

We believe digital wellbeing should be recognised as an essential 21st-century skill.

This means teaching students how to maximise technology’s benefits while minimising its harms, and knowing how to reject distraction and digital overuse and embrace face-to-face discussions and screen-free time when appropriate.

We also know it is something parents need too. Indeed, the genesis of this article came from a conversation between us - the parent of an IB school student and the IB director general - about the global struggle to help children manage their use of technology.

5 steps to fight back

All of us have a role to play - but here are five things we can do to develop “tech-savvy schools” that help young people develop a healthy and productive relationship with technology:

• Reimagine education for the AI era: Schools should embrace digital tools while also teaching ethical, safe and purposeful use - and apply common-sense limits to school-issued devices to block distractions and misuse.
   
• Teach the science of self-regulation and digital health and safety: Help students understand the health and distraction risks of digital overuse and empower them to master their own device use.
   
• Balance screen time with real-world experiences: Encourage the use of proven non-digital tools like dialogue and debates, handwritten note-taking and physical books, to strengthen and diversify how students engage and think.
   
• Prioritise movement through high school: School-based physical activity supports both mental health and learning readiness. The World Health Organization recommends at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-intense physical activity a day for children and adolescents.
   
• Lead by example: Parents and educators should model both mindful tech use and screen-free time, and foster open conversations about healthy habits.

No one has all the answers, but the urgency to act is clear. The path forward requires collaboration between educators, parents, policymakers and students to find best practices that protect wellbeing and advance learning.

We have long promoted the wellbeing and safety of students in the physical world, but the virtual world now demands urgent action. In the digital age, wellbeing isn’t just another skill - it’s the foundation upon which all other learning must be built.

Olli-Pekka Heinonen is the director general of the International Baccalaureate. William Doyle is the parent of an IB student

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