South Korea will ban the use of mobile phones and other digital devices in classrooms nationwide from March next year, after parliament approved a bill aimed at curbing the growing impact of social media on young people.

The measure was approved on Wednesday and won support from both ruling and opposition lawmakers, making South Korea the latest country to restrict smartphone use among students.

“Our youth’s addiction to social media is at a serious level now,” said Cho Jung-hun, a member of the opposition People Power Party who sponsored the bill. “Our kids, their eyes are red every morning. They are on Instagram until 2 or 3am.”

Surveys underline the scale of the problem. The Education Ministry reported last year that nearly 37% of middle- and high-school students said social media affects their daily lives, while 22% said they feel anxious if they cannot access their accounts.

The decision comes in one of the most digitally connected societies in the world. Pew Research Centre data shows 99% of South Koreans are online, and 98% own a smartphone—the highest rates among 27 countries surveyed between 2022 and 2023.

Although many schools already enforce their own phone restrictions, the new law formalizes the practice nationwide. Devices will still be permitted for students with disabilities or when used for educational purposes.

Not everyone supports the move, however, with some youth advocacy groups arguing that banning smartphones violates children’s rights.

Other countries are moving in similar directions. Australia has expanded its social media restrictions for teenagers, while research published in July found that Dutch schools saw improved concentration after banning mobile phones.