More focus, social interaction: Parents and schools support MOE’s tighter smartphone rules

SINGAPORE – As secondary school students brace themselves for stricter smartphone rules in 2026, parents say they are largely supportive as these complement similar limits at home.

Schools that The Straits Times spoke to also said they have long implemented comparable policies, and the result is that students are more focused in class and more engaged with their peers.

From January 2026, secondary school students will

not be allowed to use smartphones and smartwatches outside lesson time

– including recess, between lessons and during co-curricular activities (CCAs) – under tightened screen-use guidelines announced by the Ministry of Education (MOE) on Nov 30.

Currently, students are barred from using these devices only during regular curriculum time.

The stricter rules, which will also apply during supplementary, enrichment and remedial lessons, are part of a broader push to help children and parents develop healthier digital habits.

These guidelines have already been in place for primary school pupils from 2025.

A mother of two teenagers, Mrs Sher-li Torrey, 48, said the new guidelines align with her own efforts to manage her children’s screen time.

The founder of social enterprise Mums@Work Singapore has limited app time and phone use hours at home for her 13-year-old son.

“Younger teenagers are still trying to set their own boundaries,” she said. “With the school sending the same message, at least it comes across as a united effort to help youth manage their screen time better.”

Her son’s school, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), already restricts phone use during school hours, but she noticed that he sometimes played online games while waiting for his CCA to start – time that she now hopes he will use to interact with his friends.

Ms Loh Tang Ling, 54, said her daughter’s school, Pei Hwa Secondary, had introduced earlier in 2025 a full no-mobile-phone rule once students enter the school gates.

“With these guidelines, I am not worried about her being distracted (at school),” said the mother of two, who works in events.

While students still have access to personal learning devices during school time, Ms Loh said she has no concerns as these are used mainly for school work, and that screen time is justifiable.

She added that the device also has its own limitations in apps that can be downloaded and time limits.

At home, she lets her daughter, 15, regulate her own screen time, but checks in occasionally. She also requires her daughter to keep her phone out of the bedroom at night.

“I trust her to manage her time,” she said. “If you don’t let kids use (devices), they will secretly use it, so we as parents might as well let them use it, and guide them.”

Parenting coach Ayu Asi, 48, who has five children, applies similar rules. Her children receive phones only in secondary school, and for the first two years must “surrender” them from 10pm to 6am. App downloads require parental approval.

She called the new rules “necessary”, adding: “Raising a child takes a village, and school is part of that village.”

The rules will not change much at school for Ms Yusnizan Mohd Taib’s Secondary 1 son at Bukit View Secondary, but managing screen time at home remains challenging. She tries to cap his usage at two hours a day.

The 49-year-old IT business partner is hopeful that the guidelines will help her child to build better screen time habits.

Several schools have already implemented stricter phone policies. While the guidelines state that phones can be kept in school bags, many have gone ahead with lockers.

East Spring Secondary School introduced a “handphone hotel” in 2024, where students deposit their phones every morning and retrieve them only at the end of the day.

“Students are able to focus better in class, and without their phones by their side, they don’t have the urge to keep checking them,” said vice-principal Koh Chee Hui.

Where students previously used their phones during recess and between classes, they now mingle more and are more likely to head to the school field or basketball court, he added.

St Gabriel’s Secondary School also installed similar phone lockers in 2022, and allowed phones to be used only at the foyer after school hours, said Mr Poh Wei Beng, the head of department for student management.

Students must place their phones in the lockers by 7.25am, he added.

This whole-school approach, combined with repeated messaging, visual reminders, parent engagement and role-modelling by student leaders, has resulted in stronger peer relationships, fewer classroom distractions, and better attentiveness during lessons, Mr Poh said.

“Overall, the school environment has become more focused, responsible and socially vibrant,” he added.

“By now, students are used to the routines of storing their smartphones in lockers and adhering to the no-smartphone policy,” Mr Poh said, when asked about preparation for the tighter guidelines.

Crest Secondary School introduced a different experiment – six round tables in the canteen designated for phone use during recess.

Principal Benjamin Kwok said this method gave students an opportunity to make responsible choices.

He said the school is prepared to align fully with the tighter guidelines, with lockers already installed in classrooms for phone storage.

“We look forward to greater interaction, more responsible digital usage of devices,” he said. “Our students are cooperative, and looking ahead, the shift won’t be a big surprise for them.”

Some students said the new rules would make little difference as their schools already enforce similar policies, while others felt they were “a little restrictive”.

A Secondary 3 student from Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) said it would be “as per normal” for him.

“I never use my phone during school hours anyway,” he said, adding that students have to ask for permission to use their phones in school.

At Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School, phone use is currently allowed after lessons.

“But now we can’t use it until the end of the day,” said a Secondary 3 student. “It gives us more comfort knowing our phone is with us and within reach.”

One of her schoolmates said she feels “quite uneasy” without her phone. “Having my phone on me gives me a sense of comfort, knowing I can contact my family if anything happens,” she said.

Even so, both acknowledged that the rules are fair, and that the benefits to focus and classroom environment outweigh the inconvenience.