Mexico Restricts Phones in Schools Through Middle School
A federal education order took effect Tuesday, the day President Claudia Sheinbaum opened a national reading drive at a Mexico City middle school.
Students in Mexico's preschools, elementary schools and middle schools can no longer use cellphones during the school day, under a federal education order that took effect Tuesday. Agreement 09/09/26 of the Secretariat of Public Education (SEP) also covers early education and applies to public and private schools alike.
President Claudia Sheinbaum opened the National Reading Drive that day at a technical middle school in Mexico City's Cuauhtémoc borough, No. 2 "Corregidora de Querétaro." She read an excerpt of "Canek," by Ermilo Abreu Gómez, with students, the presidency said.
"Let's swap the screen for a book," she told them. She also urged the students to use their phones responsibly and not to relate to one another only through a screen. Education Secretary Mario Delgado Carrillo and Paco Ignacio Taibo II, director of the Fondo de Cultura Económica, took part. The presidency describes the drive as the launch of a program called "Leer," Spanish for "to read."
The rules differ by level:
| Level | Rule |
|---|---|
| Basic education | Restriction for the whole school day; scheduled educational use under a teacher's guidance is allowed, as are emergencies, disability, accessibility, inclusion or health needs |
| Upper secondary | Each school decides in an assembly among four options: keeping devices in the classroom, limiting them by time and place, not using them, or using them only on set days |
| Higher education | Responsible use is promoted according to each community's agreements, with no general restriction |
The agreement sets no penalties. The student guidelines that accompany it say compliance rests on prevention and education, and each school adapts them.
States and Mexico City have 180 calendar days from the date it took effect to issue or align their own legal rules. Meetings with families and school communities begin the day after the agreement is published in the federal gazette, and the SEP and state authorities will review progress every six months.
