The French government announced on Monday that it will implement a ban on mobile phones in high schools starting next month. However, trade unions have expressed concerns that the swift execution of this policy may pose challenges.
In July, France’s parliament approved legislation banning both social media access for children under 15 and mobile phone use in high schools.
It is part of a push by President Emmanuel Macron for children to spend less time in front of screens, which the government fears is arresting their development. Kamel Chibli, vice president of the Occitanie regional council in southern France, said digital pouches and lockers used to store smartphones cost the regional authorities around 40,000 euros for a high school with 1,500 students.
On Monday, government spokesperson Maud Bregeon said Macron “has decided to promulgate the law” containing the ban on phones, despite the Constitutional Council striking down its flagship provision. “As a result, the ban on mobile phones in high schools can take effect from the start of the new school year, with a stable, consolidated and statutory legal framework,” she said after a cabinet meeting. Macron’s office has said the president has no plans to give up on his push to bar children from apps such as TikTok and the government would work on a new draft law.
President Aims for Legal Protections by Spring
The president is working towards establishing a stable legal framework to safeguard children and young people by next spring. This initiative was highlighted by spokesman Bregeon, emphasizing the urgency and importance of the effort.
