15/01/2025
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In 2009, Sweden chose to replace books with computers. 15 years later, it allocates 104 million euros to reverse course
Sweden is investing €104 million to bring back printed textbooks, highlighting growing concerns over digital learning’s toll on student focus and skills. Discover how this bold move could reshape education everywhere.

Mathias Curl
Published on
January 13, 2025
Read : 2 min
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In 2009, Sweden chose to replace books with computers. 15 years later, it allocates 104 million euros to reverse course | Indian Defence Review
In a world where tech seems to run the show, Sweden’s education system is hitting the brakes on its all-digital approach. They’re bringing printed textbooks back into classrooms, marking a huge shift in how they think about teaching and learning. This change highlights worries about how digital tools might be affecting students’ learning and growth.
Going digital: How it all started
Back in 2009, Sweden jumped headfirst into modernizing its schools by swapping out old-school textbooks for computers and other digital gear. The idea was to get students ready for a tech-driven world. The Swedish government figured that using computers and tablets would make learning more fun and easy to access. Gradually, paper textbooks disappeared because digital versions seemed cheaper and more adaptable for the future.
The goal was crystal clear: arm students with the skills they’d need in a high-tech age. But as time went on, it became clear that this switch wasn’t without its hiccups.
What’s going wrong? The issues start piling up
Fast forward fifteen years, and Sweden is having second thoughts due to some major problems cropping up. Research shows that reading on screens (especially those with bright lights) can cause more eye strain and less focus compared to paper books. Plus, understanding what you read and remembering it takes a hit when you’re staring at screens.
One big gripe
