Students huddle together in the corridor, chatter filling the air on a break between classes at a school in Finland, where mobile phones have been banned since school resumed in August.

At Kungsvagens Skola for students aged 13 to 15 in Sipoo, northeast of Helsinki, teachers collect students' phones in the morning and lock them in a storage room until the end of the school day.

Principal Maria Tallberg said the transition to a phone-free school had "exceeded expectations".

"Of course, they (students) grumbled a bit in the beginning, especially since they can't use them during breaks, but they also understand why, deep down," Tallberg told AFP during a recent visit.

"Many have also said they were not aware they were so addicted to their phones."

The new law banning phones during class-

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