France to ban students from using smartphones in schools

In recent years, many countries have been actively discussing the question of how much schoolchildren should be allowed to use smartphones. France was one of the first countries to introduce restrictions - since 2018, students have been ordered to turn off their phones during lessons. Now the government is going further: from September 2025, students in secondary schools will be prohibited from even having smartphones on them - they will have to be left in lockers or special cases. This is reported by The Guardian.

The new initiative was announced by French Education Minister Elisabeth Borne. She said the decision was prompted by growing concerns about the impact of screens on children's health. The aim is to improve their well-being and performance at school.

The innovation is the result of a large-scale pilot program involving more than 50,000 students from 180 schools. For six months, they took a “digital break” - leaving their phones in designated areas during the school day. According to Born, the results were positive: the atmosphere in schools has improved significantly. Schools will decide for themselves which method of storing phones to use, but the costs can reach several thousand euros.

In addition, in 2024, a report was prepared on behalf of President Macron with recommendations: not to allow children under 13 to use smartphones at all, and to open access to social networks only from the age of 18. A neurologist and a psychiatrist worked on the report, who advise minimizing or completely eliminating screen time for children.

Other countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States, are considering similar initiatives.