Sweden is orchestrating a deliberate shift back to foundational learning tools. The nation’s government is actively promoting a renewed emphasis on physical books, pen, and paper within schools. This strategic pivot aims to address and reverse declining literacy rates across the country. However, this concentrated effort on analogue resources has ignited considerable debate, drawing critiques from technology firms, educational professionals, and computer scientists. These groups contend that a lessened integration of digital tools could negatively impact students’ future employment prospects and potentially harm the economic standing of the Nordic nation.
At a secondary school located in Nacka, a district just outside Stockholm, students nearing graduation are observed retrieving laptops from their backpacks and tote bags. Alongside these devices, they also carry items that, according to some students, were used less frequently only a few years ago. Sophie, an 18-year-old student, notes, “I now go home from school with new books and papers often.” She elaborates that one of her teachers has adopted a practice of “printing all the texts that we use during the lesson.” Furthermore, a digital learning platform previously employed for mathematics instruction has been replaced entirely with textbook-only teaching methods.
This educational environment presents a striking contrast to Sweden’s established reputation as one of Europe’s foremost technologically adept societies. This perception is largely due to its populace’s high levels of digital proficiency and a robust, burgeoning tech start-up ecosystem. Laptops became commonplace in Swedish educational settings throughout the late 2000s and early 2010s. Official statistics from 2015 indicate that approximately 80% of students attending state-funded municipal secondary schools had individual access to a digital device. The integration of tablets into pre-school curricula became mandatory in 2019. This measure was part of the former Social Democrat-led government’s broader objective to equip even the youngest children with the necessary skills for an increasingly digital professional and personal existence.
A Shift in Educational Philosophy
The current right-wing coalition, which assumed power in 2022, is actively steering educational practices in a divergent direction. Joar Forsell, an education spokesperson for the Liberal Party, whose leader holds the position of Sweden’s Minister for Education, states, “We’re trying, actually, to get rid of screens as much as possible.” He further qualifies this stance by adding, “With higher ages in school you might use them a little bit more, but with lower ages, or in school, I don’t think we should use screens at all.”
The government has frequently employed the memorable Swedish slogan “från skärm till pärm,” which translates to “from screen to binder.” This phrase encapsulates their rationale: the argument is that screen-free instruction fosters a more conducive environment for children to concentrate and cultivate essential reading and writing abilities. Consequently, beginning in 2025, pre-schools will no longer be mandated to incorporate digital tools into their daily activities, and tablets will not be provided to children under the age of two. Later this year, a prohibition on mobile phone usage in schools, even for educational purposes, is set to be implemented.
Educational institutions have already received substantial financial backing, with over 2.1 billion kronor (approximately $200 million USD or £157 million GBP) allocated in grants designated for investment in textbooks and teacher resource materials. A revised curriculum, specifically designed to reinforce learning methods centered on textbooks, is anticipated to be introduced in 2028. Forsell asserts, “Reading real books and writing on real paper, and counting with real numbers on real paper, is much better if you want kids to get the knowledge they need.”
Concerns and Evidence Underpinning the Change
This reorientation in educational strategy followed a comprehensive consultation process initiated in 2023. This consultation involved a diverse range of participants, including academic researchers, teaching organizations, public agencies, and municipalities. Dr. Sissela Nutley, a neuroscientist associated with the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and one of the voices advocating for a reassessment of digital tool usage, observes, “There’s been an increased awareness of the disruption that technology is causing in classrooms.”
Dr. Nutley highlights that students can experience diminished concentration when observing the activities of other children on shared screens. She also refers to a growing body of international research suggesting that reading textual material on digital devices may impede children’s information processing capabilities. Furthermore, she notes that extensive screen time could potentially affect the developmental trajectory of younger pupils’ brains.
The government’s objective in facilitating this return to more conventional pedagogical approaches is to elevate Sweden’s performance on the PISA rankings. The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is the benchmark established by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for assessing core educational subjects. While Sweden was once a top-tier performer, its PISA scores experienced a significant decline in 2012. Following a temporary recovery, another notable dip was recorded in mathematics and reading assessments in 2022.
Although Sweden’s 2022 literacy scores remained slightly above the average for OECD member nations, the country’s performance lagged behind that of the United Kingdom, the United States, Denmark, and Finland. A substantial proportion of students, specifically 24% of those aged 15 or 16, failed to achieve a foundational level of reading comprehension. Forsell comments, “We know that the kids that have been going through the whole school system with a lot of screens – that they’re lagging behind in international surveys.”
Counterarguments and Economic Implications
A report on education in Sweden, published by the OECD in January of this year, reached a concluding assessment that, generally speaking, Swedish students benefit from access to digital tools. However, the report did identify a prevalent issue of digital distractions within Swedish classrooms. It also found a correlation between extensive use of digital devices in mathematics lessons and lower academic results, although it importantly noted that scores remained higher than among students who used no digital devices at all.
Andreas Schleicher, director for education at the OECD, advocates for a cautious approach when attributing direct causality. Nevertheless, he suggests that Sweden’s historically more “extreme” adoption of technology, relative to other nations, has likely had an influence on its performance outcomes. “It just put a lot of devices and technology into classrooms without clear pedagogical intent, without clear goalposts,” he argues.
Within Sweden, the government’s initiative to prioritize books has also ignited robust discussions within the business community. A recent report released by the trade association Swedish EdTech Industry expresses concern that a more analogue educational model risks leaving students inadequately prepared for future employment. Jannie Jeppesen, the CEO of the association and a former educator, states, “Everybody needs digital basic skills in order to enter the workforce.” She supports this assertion by referencing a recent EU report that estimates 90% of jobs will soon necessitate digital competencies.
Jeppesen also voices apprehension regarding the potential effects on entrepreneurship and innovation. Sweden currently holds the distinction of being Europe’s leading incubator for tech “unicorns” – companies valued at $1 billion USD or more – in proportion to its population size. Prominent examples include the music streaming service Spotify and Legora, an AI platform tailored for the legal sector. Jeppesen posits that such companies “will move elsewhere” if Sweden fails to cultivate the necessary IT expertise.
An additional consideration is the escalating global utilization of artificial intelligence (AI). While the Swedish government intends for secondary schools to commence offering instruction on the opportunities and risks associated with AI, some critics advocate for its inclusion in the curriculum for younger children as well. Professor Linnéa Stenliden of Linköping University’s Department of Behavioral Sciences warns that without such measures, younger children from more affluent families, whose parents may be better equipped to assist them in understanding AI tools, could gain a developmental advantage, thereby widening a “digital divide.”
However, back in the Swedish parliament, Forsell maintains that children should not be instructed on AI before they have mastered fundamental skills. He refutes the notion that the government’s more traditional educational methodology will exacerbate inequality. “You can only give people the opportunities that inequality is taking away from them, by giving them proper education,” he asserts.
Conversely, Jeppesen, the CEO of Swedish EdTech Industry, characterizes this perspective as “populistic.” She contends that the government’s focus on the dichotomy between digital and analogue classrooms diverts attention from other factors that may be influencing educational outcomes. These factors include the uneven distribution of educational resources and teaching quality, as highlighted in a report from Sweden’s Education Agency in March.
Student Perspectives
In Nacka, the opinions of final-year students are also divided. Alexis, an 18-year-old, remarks, “The internet has kind of taken over the younger generations, and I’ve noticed them kind of lose focus easier.” He expresses a desire for his younger siblings to engage less with digital tools in school than his own generation did. Conversely, Jasmine, aged 19, advocates for a digital education, even extending to primary school-aged children. “Let’s focus more on computers,” she suggests. “Because if we are being realistic, the whole world is using computers.”