Danish Approach to Technology and Education for Balance
Denmark scales back technology use in schools to reflect on conscious integration.
Technology and education: the Danish lesson between reflection and balance The Danish experience can serve as a useful wake-up call against uncritical enthusiasm, but every educational context requires calibrated solutions. Denmark's decision to scale back the systematic use of technology in schools should not be read as a blanket rejection of innovation, but as an opportunity to reflect on how to integrate digital tools more consciously and balanced.
The context of the Danish turnaround After adopting computer-based teaching since 2011, Denmark had already begun to reverse course by 2024. What was once an initiative taken individually by some schools has become a structural project: books, notebooks, pens, pencils, and erasers are returning to the classroom. Computers will only be used under the supervision of teachers and for specific tasks, while access to social networks will be prohibited for those under fifteen and smartphones banned from classrooms.
This choice does not stem from ideological positions, but from direct observation in the field. Excessive time spent in front of screens – adding up lessons, homework, and leisure time – has been associated with phenomena of isolation, distraction, and a decline in academic performance. The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission has also recently highlighted the negative impact of intensive use of digital platforms on adolescents' mental health.
Beyond the oppositions: finding the right balance The fundamental question is not whether to use technology or not, but how to integrate digital tools into teaching so that they support learning without completely replacing traditional methodologies that we know work.
It is undeniable that technology, when used purposefully, can offer significant advantages: • Access to vast and up-to-date educational resources • Possibility to personalize learning paths • Development of digital skills now essential in the job market • Tools for the inclusion of students with special educational needs
However, the Danish experience highlights concrete risks when the adoption of technology becomes systematic and uncritical. The phenomenon of group loneliness – that paradoxical condition of being physically together but isolated in one's own screen – is a tangible reality in classrooms where each student interacts primarily with a device rather than with peers and teachers.
What can we learn from Denmark The message from Denmark is not to demonize technology, but to use tools instead of being used by them. It involves rejecting the binary logic of all or nothing in favor of a more mature and conscious approach.
Every educational context has its own specificities: students' ages, subjects taught, available resources, local school culture. There is no universal recipe, but some principles can guide more balanced choices: • Carefully assess when and for what technology adds real value to learning • Preserve spaces for direct human interaction, essential for the development of social and emotional skills • Train teachers not only in the use of tools but in their conscious pedagogical integration • Monitor the effects on students' well-being, not just academic results • Involve students and families in decisions about technology use
A necessary reflection The Danish experience reminds us that progress does not consist in adopting every available technological novelty, but in building educational environments that prioritize the well-being and authentic learning of students. Technology can be a valuable ally in this journey, but only if used discerningly and integrated into a clear pedagogical vision.
