Sweden Scales Back on Screens in Education, While India Leans In: A Tale of Two Systems
By Sachin Usha Vilas Joshi, Education activists
For the past month, a video from Sweden has been circulating on WhatsApp, claiming that Sweden has banned screens for all children. This sparked my curiosity—could India adopt a similar approach? In this article, I explore this question by comparing the two nations’ education systems.
Sweden, long celebrated as a pioneer in educational technology, is now making headlines by stepping back from the digital edge. Meanwhile, India, striving to close its vast educational divides, views digital infrastructure as a vital lifeline for quality learning. This contrast highlights not just differing priorities, but the unique challenges and strengths shaping their education landscapes.
*Sweden’s Digital U-Turn:*
Sweden once led the charge in embedding screens in classrooms, achieving near-perfect computer-to-student ratios and widespread digital access by the early 2000s. But recent shifts tell a different story. Declining PISA scores—dropping from 555 to 544 in reading between 2016 and 2021—and research tying excessive screen time to reduced focus and reading skills have sparked a rethink. In 2023, then-School Minister Lotta Edholm pushed schools to favor printed books over tablets, especially for younger students. By 2025, a proposed national ban on mobile phones in primary and lower secondary schools reinforces this shift, with phones potentially collected at the school gate if approved.
This isn’t a complete tech rejection. Sweden’s 4,800 compulsory schools and 1,296 upper secondary institutions still employ digital tools where they enhance learning—like coding classes or research projects. With 87% of preschoolers enrolled and 85.2% of ninth-graders progressing to upper secondary programs, Sweden’s stable, high-performing system (serving about 1.1 million students) can afford this refinement. The government has allocated SEK 755 million in 2025 for textbooks, emphasizing a return to analog methods. “We’re not anti-tech,” a Stockholm education official explained. “We’re pro-balance.”
*India’s Digital Leap Forward:*
In stark contrast, India’s education system supports over 250 million students across 1.49 million schools—a scale and complexity dwarfing Sweden’s. Here, digital infrastructure isn’t optional; it’s essential. Between 2014 and 2024, computer access in schools surged from 24.1% to 57.2%, and internet connectivity leapt from 7.3% to 53.9%, per Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Platforms like DIKSHA, offering e-content in 126 languages, and PM e-VIDYA’s 32 TV channels are transforming access, particularly in rural areas where 96% of 6–14-year-olds now attend school—a leap from decades ago.
Yet, quality lags. ASER reports reveal that half of rural fifth-graders can’t read a second-grade text, and India’s 9.4 million teachers grapple with shortages, absenteeism, and inadequate training. With a pupil-teacher ratio of 24:1 (versus Sweden’s 12:1), classrooms are overstretched. Digital tools provide a lifeline: online lessons reach remote villages, and apps support overburdened teachers. Personally, I see screens as a solution, not a distraction. I’m currently using AI to boost education quality through an AI-on-wheels bus initiative. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 reinforces this, blending technology with traditional approaches.
*Why Sweden Can, and India Can’t*
Sweden’s screen rollback succeeds because its system is compact, uniform, and resource-rich. With 150,000 teachers (70.8% certified) and a near-100% literacy rate, it can adjust without collapse. India can’t take that risk. Many rural schools lack electricity—though access rose from 53% to 91.8% since 2014—let alone books or trained staff. Digital education fills these voids, delivering lessons where physical infrastructure falters. A full shift to analog, like Sweden’s, would deepen India’s urban-rural divide, where only 34% of rural households had internet in 2019.
*A Global Lesson*
Sweden’s caution—supported by Karolinska Institute research—warns of tech’s downsides: overuse can blunt skills, a risk its strong foundation can handle. India’s tale is one of ambition: digital tools have lifted Class X grades by 64% since 2014 and cut out-of-school numbers to 2.8%. Neither path is universally “right.” Sweden polishes a mature system; India builds anew. Here, students, parents, and teachers are learning to harness screens’ benefits—access, flexibility, innovation—without letting them dominate.
*India Should Learn to Limit Screen Time:*
We must balance screen time with hands-on learning. Excessive screen use consistently harms children’s health—think eye strain or poor concentration—and poses ongoing challenges. Screens should serve only educational growth, not entertainment.
*Who Should Use Screen Technology in India?*
In my view, screen technology should target underprivileged children, who lack access to quality education. Edutech’s true power lies in uplifting the grassroots, closing resource and opportunity gaps. For these kids, it’s a lifeline, bringing lessons where schools or teachers are scarce. Used smartly, it empowers the neediest, not just the privileged. For well-off children, screens should strictly enhance education, not replace real-world learning. Technology works best when it levels the playing field.
Sachin Usha Vilas Joshi
Education activists
