The education model in Spain is undergoing significant changes as both the central government and regional administrations begin to restrict the use of screens and digital devices in schools.

After years of promoting the essential nature of such devices for education, this new direction signals a substantial shift in educational policy.

Nine autonomous communities have already prohibited the use of mobile phones in schools, while many have begun to limit the use of screens of all types.

Notably, the regional government of Madrid and the central government have collaborated on this issue, marking a rare alliance between different political entities, including the administration led by Isabel Díaz Ayuso.

Parents have largely supported these decisions.

The Ministry of Education, led by Minister Pilar Alegría, along with Sira Rego, the Minister for Childhood, are undertaking legislative efforts to protect children from excessive device use.

This initiative extends beyond classroom settings and mandates restrictions on access to social media for minors under the age of 16, as well as explicit guidelines for the use of digital devices in education.

The forthcoming legislation builds upon a prior decision by the State School Council, which, in January, barred mobile phones in primary schools and restricted their use in secondary education.

This complexity arises from the overlapping responsibilities of education policies between the autonomous communities and the national government, resulting in complementary regulations.

The autonomous communities presently regulating mobile phone usage in classrooms include Madrid, the Valencian Community, Galicia, Andalusia, Catalonia, Murcia, Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha, and the Balearic Islands.

The latter most recently implemented restrictions, making its policy effective this academic year, while Castilla-La Mancha had previously prohibited mobile phone use in classrooms since 2014.

Other communities such as Aragón and Castilla y León have established guidelines to limit device usage, while Cantabria and the Canary Islands are developing specific measures based on collaborative reports.

Regions without specific regulations, such as La Rioja, Navarra, the Basque Country, and Asturias, permit individual schools to enforce their own control measures.

For example, Asturias has adapted recommendations put forward by its educational department.

As for computers and tablets, which have increasingly replaced traditional textbooks in many schools, regulatory efforts remain in initial phases across various regions.

Several areas lack specific legislation but provide instructional guidelines that schools can choose to implement.

Madrid has taken the lead in this area with a draft decree introduced in March, and Murcia has expressed intentions to follow suit.

Catalonia has also been working on similar regulations, while the Balearic Islands aim to embed screen usage limitations within the school curriculum, particularly by eliminating them for certain educational grades.

Similarly, the Valencian Community is formulating specific resolutions intended to prevent screens from becoming the primary medium for education, emphasizing their supportive role instead.

Galicia is taking broader steps consistent with the national government’s approach by preparing a Digital Education Law, which aims to extend these restrictions beyond the classroom context.