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The Himachal Pradesh government has declared a total school mobile phone ban in all government and private schools in the state, which would in a significant measure help reduce schooling distractions to enable students to concentrate on learning. The policy, which would come into effect on March 1, 2026, was announced by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on February 5, 2026, when he was addressing the closing ceremony of the 69th National School Games (Under-19 Girls Handball Tournament) in Ghumarwin at Bilaspur district.

According to the new regulations, students are not allowed to bring or use their mobile phones in the school territory at all. There will be strict enforcement, and a student caught having a phone is sure to get a fine of ₹500, and the device will be confiscated. In case of reappearing violations, the parents will be required to undertake counselling sessions at school. The Education Department has been instructed to write a comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to make sure that all are done well and to deal with escalation.

The CM pointed out that the ban is focused on improving academic achievement, decreasing screen time, and bettering classroom discipline, as well as developing a rounded individual with more importance to education rather than being distracted by their devices. He raised alarm over the decreasing attention span, social aloofness, and the health problems associated with too much smartphone use among children and adolescents. The shift comes in line with the increasingly discussed forces on screen time restrictions in the learning environment all over the world in favor of physical exercises, face-to-face communication, and enhanced mental health.

The response has been mixed in that most parents and educators have embraced the policy as a good adjustment in the recall of concentration and the old style of learning, yet others have come up with a balanced, controlled approach of using technology in education. The prohibition is on any school hour and school premise and cannot be excluded unless provided by the teachers on individual requirements.

It is the first step that sets Himachal Pradesh among those states that have a strong stance against mobile distractions in schools which could serve as an inspiration to other states in India to adopt the same policy.