Ho Chi Minh City plans to limit cell phone use in schools from October 2025

On September 18, the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City announced a draft plan to implement restrictions on the use of phones and electronic devices during recess at educational institutions.

The plan will be divided into 2 phases. Phase 1: Pilot at 16 schools from October 2025 to the end of semester 1 of the 2025-2026 school year.

Phase 2: Expand and officially apply simultaneously at all general education institutions in the city from January 2026.

According to the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, the plan aims to build a healthy, safe, and friendly school environment in the spirit of "Happy School".

Students of Tay Thanh High School in a sports activity - Photo: M.D.

The primary goal is to help students understand the harmful effects of electronic device abuse and voluntarily comply with regulations. Increase students' physical activity time, improve students' ability to communicate directly and teamwork skills. Reduce mental health problems related to electronic device abuse.

The draft also states that to implement the model, each school needs to have at least three diverse alternative activities during recess. Students participate in at least one activity and no longer use their phones for personal entertainment purposes.

Specific activities include: sports and physical activities (basketball, badminton, jump rope, shuttlecock kicking...); cultural and creative activities (small stage corner, outdoor reading corner, life skills clubs...); folk and group games (o an quan, long snake up to the clouds, blind man's buff, tug of war...).

The Board of Directors assigned a "Supervision Team" including teachers on duty, Youth Union - Pioneers officers, and Red Star student teams to inspect each area.

Depending on the actual situation, units will develop appropriate evaluation criteria for each individual and each class. Timely commend and reward groups and individuals who perform well. Remind and criticize cases of violations and repeated violations and will be handled according to school regulations.

Schools need to sign a 3-party commitment (School - Parents - Students) at the beginning of the school year/semester. Organize parent-teacher meetings to disseminate regulations related to this content. Create a Zalo/Facebook group for each class so that parents can monitor their children's activities and send weekly SMS messages to notify the implementation results.

During the implementation process, if there are any problems or difficulties, heads of units are requested to promptly report to the Department of Education and Training.

At a workshop on the use of phones in schools organized by the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City on September 18, Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu - Director of the Department - said that smartphones not only bring benefits to students but also pose many potential risks if there is no guidance.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu - Director of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City spoke at the conference - Photo: Trang Thu

Recently, there have been many cases of students being scammed online due to the intrusion of personal information of students and their families. Some students were lured to dangerous places, even out of the area, becoming victims of criminal networks. Some cases were discovered and rescued by the police in time, but there were also cases with heartbreaking consequences.

"Many schools have applied different measures: from propaganda, coordinating with parents to disciplining students. However, each school has different conditions and methods, and the effectiveness is not uniform. The department's view is not to ban absolutely, but phones should only serve essential needs, support learning, and communication when needed. We should not be extreme in banning, but must guide students to proactively use them reasonably, safely, and without dependence," Mr. Hieu emphasized.

Source: https://ttbc-hcm.gov.vn/tphcm-du-kien-han-che-su-dung-dien-thoai-trong-truong-hoc-tu-thang-10-2025-1019590.html