Sweden Is Embracing Traditional Learning Methods, why?
Schools in Sweden are abandoning screens and digital teaching to return to traditional teaching: learning with books and writing by hand with pencil and paper.
Sweden is returning to traditional learning methods as the country critically reassesses the role of digital technology in primary education. After years of intensive use of laptops and tablets in classrooms, the Swedish government is seeing growing evidence that digital learning tools do not always lead to better educational outcomes.
1. Stronger Core Skills Through Physical Learning Materials
In response to declining reading and numeracy results, Sweden is making significant investments in printed textbooks, handwriting and analogue exercises. Government funding for schoolbooks has increased substantially, and there is a renewed focus on paper-based national assessments. Education ministers emphasize that young children learn to read more deeply and carefully with books than through screens.
Research shows that reading on screens often encourages superficial skimming and weaker comprehension, while reading on paper helps students process information more effectively and retain it for longer.
2. Less Distraction, More Focus
Screens introduce constant distractions: notifications, apps and games easily pull attention away from learning. According to the Swedish education authorities, this negatively affects students’ concentration and contributes to lower performance in international assessments such as PISA.
By limiting digital devices in the classroom — including collecting mobile phones during school hours — schools create a calmer learning environment where students can focus better on lessons and tasks without interruptions.
3. Handwriting Supports Cognitive Development
Handwriting activates brain functions related to memory and understanding more strongly than typing. Educational researchers stress that young children especially benefit from analogue learning methods for language, mathematics and motor skills, as these form a solid foundation for later learning.
4. Improved Social Interaction and Classroom Dynamics
A strong focus on digital devices can also have social consequences. Continuous screen use reduces face-to-face interaction and may isolate children. In a traditional classroom, conversations, group work and direct instruction from teachers are often more effective in supporting social development.
Conclusion: Balance Remains Essential
While technology certainly has value — for research, simulations and differentiated learning — Sweden is now choosing to make pen and paper the foundation of education, particularly in the early years. This shift is not a total rejection of technology, but a re-evaluation of what has proven most effective for concentration, comprehension and the development of core skills.
Reducing Screen Time and Rethinking Smartphones in Primary Education in The Netherlands
Although the Netherlands has not fully returned to books and paper at a national policy level, primary schools are clearly moving toward reduced screen use. Since the 2024–2025 school year, national agreements have led many schools to ban or strictly limit smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches in classrooms, unless they are required for educational or medical purposes. The aim is to reduce distraction and improve focus, classroom interaction, and core skills such as reading and writing.
At the same time, some parents are opting for the so-called “starter phone” (or “start phone”) as an alternative to the smartphone. These basic mobile phones allow calls and text messages but do not provide access to social media or apps. This trend supports the broader effort to limit digital distraction while still ensuring that children remain reachable.
Rather than eliminating technology altogether, Dutch schools are seeking a healthier balance, prioritizing attention, social development, and foundational learning.
Sources and Publication Dates
- “Sweden confirms it: screens are directly linked to falling student performance” – Glass Almanac, published approximately August 2025.
- “Government investing in more reading time and less screen time” – Swedish Government, published 8 February 2024, updated 5 March 2025.
- “Serious issue that 30% of pupils distracted by mobile phones during lessons” – Swedish Ministry of Education press release, published 4 June 2024.
- Statement of Government Policy – Swedish education policy document, published September 2023.
- “Screens in Classrooms? A Serious Swedish Debate Spreads Worldwide” – Worldcrunch, published 25 August 2025.
- “Sweden went all-digital in 2009 — now it’s spending €104M to bring books back” – Glass Almanac, published approximately August 2025.
- “We need to keep children away from screens” – Forte (Swedish Ministry of Social Affairs), published 3 December 2025.
- “Sweden officially links falling student performance to screens — could going back to textbooks save education?” – Chronik, published as daily news coverage.
