French high schools are rushing to implement a new mobile phone ban as President Emmanuel Macron’s government seeks to reduce screen time among teenagers and address concerns about the impact of excessive smartphone use on young people. The measure is scheduled to apply to lycée students aged 15 to 18 from the start of the new school year.
France has already prohibited mobile phone use in primary and middle schools, but the latest policy extends restrictions to older teenagers in high schools. The government argues that reducing phone use during school hours could support students’ concentration and development.
However, education unions have warned that schools are being given too little time to introduce the new rules. Each high school must amend its internal regulations, a process that generally requires consultation with staff and students followed by a formal vote.
Another challenge is that smartphones are already integrated into many aspects of school life. Students may use phones to check timetables, room changes and homework, while some schools use smartphone applications for access to cafeterias or library services.
Education unions have also questioned how the ban should be applied. Individual schools will need to decide whether restrictions cover the entire school premises, including corridors and outdoor areas, or whether certain locations and situations should be exempted.
Teachers’ representatives have argued that older teenagers should have a voice in deciding how the policy is introduced. Some lycée students are close to adulthood, with those in their final year potentially eligible to vote in France’s upcoming presidential election.
The phone ban is part of Macron’s wider effort to reduce young people’s exposure to digital platforms. His government has also been pursuing restrictions on social media access for children under 15. However, France’s Constitutional Council recently rejected the first version of that legislation, citing concerns about its broad definition of social media and the privacy implications of age-verification requirements.
Officials are now working on a revised version of the social-media legislation, while schools prepare for the immediate challenge of putting the high school phone restrictions into practice.
