Victoria's school phone ban is on track to cover every classroom in the state. The Education and Training Reform Amendment Bill 2026 passed the Legislative Assembly on 14 July and has gone to the Legislative Council for its consideration. If it clears that chamber, it will extend to non-government schools a ban that has applied in government schools since 2020.

The bill also widens what counts as a banned device. Alongside mobile phones, it captures wearable devices and personal audio devices — the smartwatches and wireless earbuds that have quietly become harder for teachers to police than a phone sitting in a blazer pocket.

The rules are specific. Under the government's policy, phones must be switched off and stored away from first to final bell; wearables must have notifications, cellular connection and recording functions switched off; and personal audio devices must not be used during school hours. Exceptions apply for students who require devices to monitor health conditions.

The start date is 28 January 2027, the beginning of the school year. Schools would have to develop a policy restricting student use of personal electronic devices during school hours, with those already registered, or with a registration application pending, given until 1 July 2027 to demonstrate compliance.

The government's case rests on what happened in state schools. An evaluation found students were more focused in class and more social during breaks, and schools reported fewer critical incidents involving phones. "Less screen time. More learning time. For every Victorian student," Premier Jacinta Allan said.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Education Ben Carroll framed the extension as following that evidence. "The evidence shows it worked and now we're going further, so every Victorian student, in every Victorian school, can put their phone away and focus on learning," he said. He also pointed to a risk beyond distraction: many of these devices, he said, "can covertly capture images and footage, carrying significant privacy and safety risks".

Notably, the measure has drawn support across the aisle. Shadow Minister Brad Rowswell credited the government with recognising early "the distraction that these provide to students in a learning environment", while Member for Eureka Michaela Settle argued the benefit should be shared more widely: "It has obviously worked in state schools, and that is why we would like to see that benefit extended out to kids all across Victoria." The Council will now decide whether it is.