South Korean Youth Rejects Bill On Prohibition Of Use Of Smart Devices In Schools

South Korean youth organizations that reject the school's smart device ban bill (photo: Naver)

JAKARTA - A number of youth organizations and human rights groups in South Korea have urged the National Assembly to immediately stop the Draft Law on the Prohibition of the Use of Smart Devices.

The organizations that are members of this action include the National Youth Movement for Human Rights for Students and Youth, the Youth Committee of the Justice Party, the Youth Special Committee for the Progressive Party, the Youth Labor Party, and the Youth Green Party.

The bill passed the National Assembly Education Committee on July 8, as well as the Legal and Judiciary Committee on August 1, and is scheduled to be brought to the plenary session on August 22, 2025.

In a press conference held live on August 20, activists rated the bill seriously threatening students' freedoms and rights, and if passed it would encourage excessive human rights abuses in schools.

"This RUU is not just a matter of smartphones, but reflects the philosophy of education that still views teenagers as just an object of control," said Kim Dohyun, Chairman of the Progressive Party Youth Committee in his official broadcast.

According to them, many schools have implemented excessive measures, such as mass collection and confiscation of cellphones, based on student circulars or school regulations. And this system is considered adequate enough to provide restrictions.

They emphasized that the rules regarding the use of smart devices should be determined through a democratic process in schools, not by a coercive approach.

"We strongly condemn this bill because it is based on a view that reduces students to a mere object of control, rather than citizens with equal rights and freedoms," they asserted.