(...) Last year, the Swedish Ministry of Education and Research established that "only analog learning tools, such as books, should be used for children under the age of two, and that the potential use of non-analog tools must be highly restricted for all other children." The new guidelines seek to "return to the basics and restore a solid, knowledge-based school system, with an emphasis on foundational skills in the early grades: reading, writing, and arithmetic." Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, leader of the Moderate Party, has coined the phrase "från skärm till pärm" (from screen to binder/notebook), arguing that computer-free classrooms create better conditions for young people to thrive and develop cognitive skills.
This shift in direction in Stockholm was not a sudden decision. It was preceded by a 2023 consultation with academic researchers, teaching organizations, and public agencies. Dr. Sissela Nutley, a neuroscientist at the Karolinska Institute in the Swedish capital, warned about the negative effects of technology use in schools, pointing to research showing that reading on a screen is less effective than reading on paper, alongside evidence regarding the impact of screen time on child development. The data supports her concern: in 2012, Sweden dropped ten positions in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) ranking. In 2022, another decline occurred, leaving the Scandinavian country behind rivals such as the United States, Finland, and Denmark in mathematics and reading comprehension, with a quarter of 15- and 16-year-olds lacking basic reading comprehension.
Sweden is not alone in this reflection. Its Nordic neighbors, Norway and Denmark, are also re-evaluating the role of technology in schools, while South Korea has begun imposing limits on student screen time. Meanwhile, UNESCO, UNICEF, and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) recently published a letter urging policymakers to "establish, improve, and sustain digital learning platforms that support education as a human right and a public good," while not ignoring the associated risks.
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