Fighting screen addiction: How Luxembourg wants to get schoolchildren into sport

Luxembourg's Minister of Education, Claude Meisch, has unveiled a new strategy to reduce schoolchildren's dependence on smartphones and increase physical activity among young people. The changes were inspired by the minister's personal observation: "I noticed with horror that during recess all the children are on their phones." Meisch believes that excessive use of smartphones has a negative impact on children's mental health and suggests alternatives in the form of recreational, cultural and sporting activities.

Starting with the school year 2026/2027, an additional physical education lesson will be introduced in the sixth grades (second level of the lyceum), increasing the total number to three hours per week. This measure will be extended to fifth grades in the following academic year.

In addition, all secondary schools will be required to offer at least two sports activities every day after school hours. In this way, Meisch wants to encourage children to move and be active outside of school hours by providing them with an alternative to using smartphones.

The minister is also planning to organise sports camps during school holidays under the auspices of the National Youth Service (SNJ). These events will be organised at the sports facilities of Campus Geeseknäppchen, which remain empty outside school hours. In this way, the sports infrastructure will be used as efficiently as possible and students will have the opportunity to spend their holidays actively.

One of the key initiatives is the modernisation of school yards, which, according to the minister, look empty and unattractive. However, the configuration of the modernised spaces will be determined by the pupils themselves. Meisch emphasises: "It is not for the ministry to decide what the children need. We will provide financial resources and invite schools to dialogue with pupils to understand what they are missing".

Minister Claude Meisch believes that increasing physical activity will help children naturally take their minds off screens and improve their mental health. Giving children interesting alternatives and being involved in deciding what their school spaces will look like will be a powerful tool for creating healthier and more active young people, he said.