Helsingin Sanomat's most-read story on Monday morning is about the phenomenon of so-called "school shopping", where parents use different strategies to secure children's admission to schools perceived as more desirable.
Generally, local schools are assigned based on a family's home address.
One family tells HS that an open secret in circumventing this system is applying for admission to schools with a specialised focus. This pathway through screened schools allows kids to enter less disruptive classrooms, one mother told HS.
Parents like this understand that by guiding their children to take entrance exams, they can secure a spot in a class where classmates often come from privileged backgrounds or are among the school's top-performing pupils, the paper explained.
"It was definitely a case of school shopping," the mother told HS of her decision.
For a weekly roundup of the top stories from Finland, as well as an Yle Areena tip, sign up for Yle's newsletter service with your Yle ID.
Pensions up
Kauppalehti reports that while pensions increased last year, significant regional differences persist.
According to the Finnish Centre for Pensions (ETK), the average monthly pension in 2024 was 2,100 euros, compared to 1,977 the previous year. The median pension was 1,848 euros per month.
The data is based on the latest joint statistics from ETK and Kela, revealing significant regional differences in pension amounts in Finland.
The highest average pension is in the capital region's Kauniainen, where it is 3,789 euros, while the lowest is in the municipality of Soini in South Ostrobothnia, where it is 1,562 euros.
Pensions over 3,000 euros remain relatively rare, with 15 percent of recipients crossing this threshold last year.
"There are still a lot of small pensions. About one in three retirees received less than 1,500 euros per month last year," said Joonas Hautamäki, a statistical expert at the pensions centre.
The latest episode of All Points North sets out to find the best place to live in Finland. Listen to the episode via this embedded player, on Yle Areena, via Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Ditching smartphones
With restrictions on kids' phone use in schools moving forward, Hufvudstadsbladet talked to a family whose 12-year-old switched from a smartphone to a feature phone and is enjoying the simplicity of his new device.
The retro phone lets him make calls and send text messages — and play some basic mobile games. The tween said the switch was his initiative.
"I wanted to test what it's like to use this kind of phone and see the difference. My screen time has decreased because I can't do much on the phone. On the metro, I can study for a test or just look out the window. I used to mostly use my smartphone to watch YouTube videos, play games and use WhatsApp," he told the daily.
Users with an Yle ID can leave comments on our news stories. You can create your Yle ID via this link. Our guidelines on commenting and moderation are explained here.