From January 2026, secondary school students will not be allowed to use smartphones and smartwatches outside of lesson time, such as during recess and co-curricular activities (CCAs), as part of tightened guidelines on screen use.Currently, they are limited in their use of these devices only during regular lesson time. The new tightened guidelines, which will also cover supplementary, enrichment and or remedial lessons, align with the restrictions put in place for primary school pupils since January 2025.The revised guidelines by the Ministry of Education (MOE) are part of a series of initiatives announced on Nov 30 to help children and their parents develop healthy digital habits.MOE said in a statement that students’ devices will have to be kept in designated storage areas such as lockers or in students’ school bags during school hours.Smartwatches fall under the guidelines as they enable communication through messaging and access to apps including social media, which can lead to distractions, passive screen use and reduced interaction with their peers, it added. Read more