France plans to tighten the ban on the use of mobile phones by middle school students, meaning that children aged 11 to 15 will be prohibited from having their phones with them throughout the school day.
French Minister of Education, Élisabeth Borne, stated that she wants children to be completely disconnected from their phones during the school day in all French middle schools starting in September.
“In a time when the use of gadgets is widely questioned due to their numerous harmful consequences, this measure is crucial for the well-being of our children and their success in school,” she said.
The mobile phone ban has been in place since 2018 and applies “on school grounds,” where “students’ mobile phones must be turned off and put away.”
Schools have noted positive effects: more communication, more physical activity, less bullying, and better concentration. However, some schools reported that some children snuck into bathrooms to watch videos on their phones during breaks. Now, the government says it is necessary to go further and completely separate children from their devices for the entire school day.
This enforced “digital break,” as it is called by the French government, has been tested in about 100 middle schools over the past six months. Children hand in their phones upon arrival at school, placing them in lockers, boxes, or special bags that can only be unlocked electronically when leaving school to go home.
Recently, similar measures have been discussed or implemented in many European countries.
