Singapore: Singapore will enforce a tighter ban on the use of smartphones and smartwatches in secondary schools from January, its Ministry of Education announced, reflecting a broader international effort to reduce digital distractions.

Current guidelines in the city-state -- one of the world's most digitally connected populations -- bar secondary school students from using their devices in the classroom.

This will be broadened to include non-lesson time, with students required to keep phones in designated storage areas such as lockers or school bags during school hours.

The goal is "to create a school environment that prioritises students' learning and enhances their engagement, fostering healthier habits on screen use and better well-being", the ministry said Sunday.

"Screen use among students has been shown to displace important activities such as sleep, physical activity and social interactions with friends and family."

Schools may allow smartphone use by exception "where necessary", the ministry said in a statement.

A growing number of countries are taking similar action, with 40 percent of education systems now banning smartphones in school, according to UNESCO.

Next week Australia will go a step further with a world-first ban on social media for under-16s.

On its website UNESCO highlighted some particularly stringent school bans, such as a requirement in China's Zhengzhou "that parents provide written consent that a phone was really needed for pedagogical reasons".

AFP