As mediator Raimonda Joskaudienė explained, the regulation of mobile phone use within educational settings has undergone a significant legal shift. Previously, while individual schools possessed the authority to establish internal guidelines for personal mobile phone use, the Education Act did not contain an explicit legal mandate requiring such procedures across all educational institutions. This regulatory landscape is set to change with the adoption of an amendment to the Education Act No.
XV-842 on April 23, 2026. The core change dictates that beginning September 1, 2026, establishing a protocol for student personal mobile phones and other terminal devices will transition from a discretionary measure to a direct legal obligation for every school. According to the lawyer, the amendment specifically supplemented Article 43, titled “School activities,” with new provisions.
These changes require that every school, following consultation with its school council, must formalize and document a procedure governing the use of student personal electronics. It is important to note the scope of this new requirement. The law does not mandate a uniform policy of confiscation or outright prohibition of all devices in every school.
Instead, the focus is on establishing a formal, documented procedure. This legislative update means that all schools must now integrate a specific policy into their operational framework concerning student technology use, marking a standardized approach across the educational sector starting in September.
Topics: #school #schools #september
