Harmful effects: France tightens cell phone ban at secondary schools
In future, French pupils aged between 11 and 15 will have to lock their mobile devices away in a locker or bag all day during lessons.
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After testing the "digital break" program, pupils aged 11 to 15 in France will no longer be allowed to use smartphones for the entire school day from September. France is thus tightening its existing partial ban on cell phones in secondary schools, writes the British Guardian. Affected pupils will have to lock their devices away in a locker or bag at the start of the school day. They would only be allowed to access them again when lessons were over and they were on their way home.
According to the report in the Senate, French Education Minister Élisabeth Borne emphasized that children in all French secondary schools would be separated from their cell phones for days at a time during school weeks after the summer vacations. The former Prime Minister justified this as follows: "At a time when the use of screens is generally being questioned due to their numerous harmful effects, this measure is crucial for the well-being and school success of our children." Students spend too much time in front of screens and too little reading books.
In France, cell phones have been banned in many schools since 2010 –, long before the triumph of ChatGPT, Gemini & Co. –. Initially, the use of cell phones was only prohibited in the classroom. In 2018, the French National Assembly also banned the use of smartphones during breaks and school activities outside the actual educational establishment. The regulations apply to preschools, elementary school and secondary schools. Only grammar schools are exempt. The aim is to enable children and young people to concentrate better on learning. Protecting young people from cyberbullying and content that is harmful to minors also plays a role.
Cell phone bans are also coming to Germany
Now the government in Paris wants to take the next step and almost completely disconnect the majority of pupils from their cell phones during the day. Around 100 secondary schools have been testing this enforced digital asceticism in a pilot project over the past six months. Borne explained to the senators: the feedback has been "consistently positive, especially in terms of improving the school climate". Parents and teachers are enthusiastic about the approach. Trade unions had questioned the costs and logistics of organizing the program. According to the minister, however, principals are free to choose a lockdown procedure. It is not expected to cost more than a few thousand euros.
Last year, researchers commissioned by French President Emmanuel Macron came to the conclusion that children should only be allowed to use smartphones from the age of 13 and access social media such as TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat from the age of 18. Across Europe, more and more states and regions are banning cell phones from classrooms. In Germany, Hesse wants to introduce a comprehensive ban from the 2025/26 school year. Baden-WĂĽrttemberg also wants to restrict cell phone use. In neighboring Rhineland-Palatinate, the debate about a similar approach is still raging, with the Education and Science Union (GEW) recently expressing skepticism.
(nie)
