Sweden is reversing course. After years of relying on screens, the country is spending millions to put paper textbooks back into students’ hands and encourage handwriting once again.
The deliberate shift is motivated by falling academic results and growing doubts about the effectiveness of excessive digitalisation.
In 2023, the government launched a return to basics: reading, writing, paper, and pencils. Schools are to become phone-free, and every pupil must have a physical textbook for each subject. The state has already invested €70 million in textbooks and €46 million in reading books – a substantial effort for a country of nearly 11 million people.
This U-turn stems from deep-seated concern. Between 2000 and 2012, student performance dropped in reading, maths, and science. A recovery occurred until 2018, followed by another decline in 2022. There is no proof that screens are solely to blame, but several studies indicate that reading on paper better promotes comprehension, particularly for informative texts.
Swedish authorities do not want to ban technology, but rather reserve it for ages where it genuinely supports learning. This caution contrasts with the constant pressure from the tech industry, which is pushing schools towards an ever more digital approach and, now, towards artificial intelligence literacy.
For some experts, the pandemic revealed the limits of an all-digital system. Consultant Pam Kastner points out that “technology is a tool, not a teacher.” Psychologist Jonathan Haidt goes further, suggesting that putting tablets on school desks could become “one of the greatest mistakes in the history of education.”
Sweden, for its part, has already begun paying to correct its course.
