France announced today the launch of a trial to ban mobile phones in schools for students under 15 years old.
The initiative aims to give children a “digital detox” and, if successful, could be implemented nationwide starting in January.
The trial will involve fewer than 200 secondary schools, where students will be required to hand over their phones upon arrival.
This move extends beyond the 2018 law, which prohibited phone use in primary and secondary schools but allowed students to keep their devices.
Acting Education Minister Nicole Belloubet announced the trial on Tuesday, stating that the goal is to provide young people with a “digital break.”
Belloubet indicated that if the trial proves successful, the ban could be rolled out across all schools by January.
A committee formed by President Emmanuel Macron has raised concerns about the detrimental effects of excessive screen exposure on children’s health and development.
A 140-page report published in March highlighted a “very clear consensus on the direct and indirect negative effects of digital devices on sleep, inactivity, lack of physical activity, and the risk of overweight and obesity… as well as vision.”
The report concluded that excessive use of phones and other digital technologies is not only harmful to children but also to “society and civilization.”
The report recommended a phased approach to controlling children’s phone use: no mobile phones before the age of 11, phones without internet between 11 and 13, and phones with internet access but no social media until 15. It also suggested that children under three should not be exposed to digital devices at all, as they are “not necessary for healthy child development.”
Servan Mouton, a neurologist and neurofunction specialist who served on the committee, emphasized the importance of limiting digital exposure for young children.
“We need to put the digital tool in its place. At least until the age of six, a child does not need a digital device to develop. We have to re-teach parents how to play with their children,” Mouton said.
The idea of banning phones in schools has been debated across Europe. In countries where bans exist, they often focus on limiting usage rather than requiring students to surrender their phones.
In Germany, there are no official restrictions, but most schools have banned the use of mobile phones and digital devices in classrooms except for educational purposes.
The Netherlands implemented a near-total ban in secondary school classrooms at the beginning of this year, although it is a recommendation rather than a legal requirement. This directive will also apply to primary schools from this academic year.
Italy was one of the first countries to impose a ban in 2007, which was relaxed in 2017 and then reinstated in 2022, covering all age groups.
In February of this year, the UK government issued guidelines for schools “on banning mobile phones throughout the school day,” but left the decision to individual school leaders.
Portugal is experimenting with a compromise by introducing a number of phone-free days each month in schools, while some autonomous regions in Spain have implemented bans, though there is no nationwide prohibition.
