Paraguay’s bill restricting mobile phones and other portable electronic devices in schools has moved closer to completing its congressional process without a vote by the Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday. The September 22 sitting lost its quorum before lawmakers reached the proposal, and the official session record consequently lists the bill as “not considered”.
The next important date is Friday, September 25, 2026. That is the deadline for the Chamber of Deputies to act on the amendments made by the Senate. If no decision is taken by then, the mechanism known in Paraguay as sanción ficta applies: the Senate text is automatically considered approved by Congress.
This does not mean the rules automatically enter into force on Friday. Once the congressional stage is completed, the bill proceeds to the Executive. President Santiago Peña can promulgate it or exercise the constitutional options available for an objection or veto.
What the Senate version would regulate
The bill covers early childhood education, basic school education and secondary education. It restricts students’ use of portable electronic devices during lessons, recesses and breaks between classes. Mobile phones are the main target, but the rules extend to other personal electronic devices.
Exceptions include emergencies or situations of necessity, documented health or special educational needs, and specifically planned pedagogical or didactic uses. Classroom use for educational purposes would have to take place under direct supervision by education professionals.
A Senate amendment also extends the restriction to people who accompany students or take part in their educational process, depending on their role within the institution. Teachers and other school personnel may therefore fall within its scope. This provision was one of the points under dispute before the scheduled vote in the Chamber of Deputies.
Not a complete rejection of digital technology
Education and Sciences Minister Luis Ramírez has presented the measure as an attempt to regulate technology in schools rather than eliminate it. According to his explanation, the Ministry of Education and Sciences (Ministerio de Educación y Ciencias, MEC) particularly wants to reduce uncontrolled distraction and access to social networks during the school day while preserving planned educational uses of digital devices.
If the bill is promulgated, implementing rules will still be required. The Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies (Ministerio de Tecnologías de la Información y Comunicación, MITIC) is expected to participate in that process alongside the education ministry.
What happens next
The next decisive date is therefore September 25. If the deadline expires without further action by the Chamber of Deputies, automatic congressional approval would complete the legislative stage. The Executive would then decide on promulgation or a veto. Until that process advances, the measure should be described as a bill rather than as a school phone ban already in force.