Today’s big topic: The screen has been cast as the villain. But turning it off could make schools even worse
At Søndersøskolen in Værløse, mobile phones have been locked away for about two years. Computers, too, must be put away unless there is a specific purpose for using them in class.
What’s happening?
The new PISA study, which shows a sharp drop in Danish students’ abilities in reading, math, and science, has reignited the debate over screens and their role both in school and in children’s spare time. The government has revived a proposal to ban mobile phones in primary and lower secondary schools, and it also wants to ban social media for children under 15. Furthermore, the Minister for Education Magnus Heunicke has repeatedly stated that also instruction in schools should be more analog.
But a close reading of the lengthy PISA report points to a number of intriguing conclusions that, conversely, suggest that digital instruction can make students more proficient. Students who often use digital devices to find information online score markedly higher in reading. The same is true if they frequently assess the quality of texts on the internet, or if they often write and edit texts digitally. By contrast, students who almost never use a screen in class have the weakest results in reading.
Why it matters!
According to Stig Toke Gissel, an associate professor at the University College Lillebælt and one of the authors of the Danish PISA report, it would be completely misguided if the PISA study leads to digital tools being pulled out of instruction.
»Some of the students indicate that even though they have to hand over their smartphone, they sit in class distracted, nervous, and anxious because they don’t have access to it. They feel pressured to respond to notifications and messages«, he says, continuing: »That suggests that if we don’t change students’ behavior outside school, then we can’t expect school to be a refuge where the private screen doesn’t interfere«.
At the Danish Chamber of Commerce, Mads Eriksen Storm, head of knowledge and innovation, also worries that the troubling PISA results will lead to an »all-out off switch« in public schools. »Then we actually risk creating an even worse school«, he says.
Still curious? Read the full article here.
In other news
– More than a quarter of a million people must see their doctor to renew their allergy prescriptions
363,600 allergy sufferers must renew their prescription for their allergy medication if they still want reimbursement, according to the Danish Medicines Agency, Ritzau reports.
Under a new ruling reimbursement for some prescription allergy medicines will only be available to certain patient groups, while others will no longer be eligible for reimbursement. The changes apply to various nasal sprays, eye drops, tablets, and capsules and take effect on February 1, 2027.
– OECD sees surprisingly solid global economy despite turmoil
Global growth slowed during the first half of 2026, but the economy has proved more resilient than expected, Ritzau reports. That is the view of the OECD, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which published a new forecast on Wednesday. The OECD expects global growth of 2.9 percent this year and 3.0 percent in 2027.
– Government imposes temporary halt on new pig production
With immediate effect, the government is introducing a temporary halt to expansions or the establishment of new pig farms. This means conventional pig producers will not be able to obtain permits to build new barns or expand existing pig barns for the next 12 months, Ritzau reports. The halt is intended to ensure that no new conventional pig production is expanded while the government lays out the future of the sector in the much-discussed four-party talks on pig farming.
Talk of town: New Trump deal offers hope that the United States will not leave pollution behind in Greenland again
During World War II and the Cold War, the United States operated at least 36 bases and military installations in Greenland. The United States left behind thousands of tons of hazardous waste, toxic pollutants, oil-contaminated soil, and radioactive wastewater in Greenland. Politiken has visited three bases to document the contamination.
The new security agreement between Greenland, Denmark and the United States is giving Greenlandic politicians hope that past sins will not be allowed to repeat themselves when it comes to how Greenland’s environment is treated.
After World War II, when the United States left all its military installations except the Pituffik base in Thule, it left behind several thousand tons of hazardous or contaminated waste. That included up to 100,000 rusty, corroded oil drums and several tons of batteries and asbestos, and elevated levels of heavy metals and the toxic chemicals PCB and PFAS have also been measured, Politiken revealed this summer.
But in the new agreement, signed Tuesday in New York by President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland’s head of government, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the parties state that they »recognize the need to protect Greenland’s unique environment«. And just as important, that the parties »reaffirm Article VI regarding environmental protection in the 1991 memorandum of agreement as well as the 2004 joint declaration«.
Still curious? Read the full article here.
This newsletter features stories originally published in Danish. AI was used to shorten and translate the articles into English, after which a member of the editorial staff reviewed and refined the content.