No more texting ‘ou est au ballon?’ or ‘je veux un baguette lol’ to each other under the table anymore, unfortunately
President Emmanuel Macron has followed up on a campaign promise and announced a blanket ban on phones across France, meaning children up to the age of 15 will no longer be able to bring in mobile devices (including tablets and smartwatches) to school.
The new law was passed in July for primary and junior schools, but it is not yet obligatory for all high schools (the equivalent of sixth form or college in the UK), who can operate partial or total bans as they see fit.
It is believed the new stop pupils being distracted by phones during class as well as helping prevent online bullying and helping students make friends more easily and be more physically active during break periods.
90% of French 12-17 year-olds have a mobile phone, and supporters hope the ban will limit the spread of violent and pornographic content among children.
Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer has hailed the legislation as “a law for the 21st century” that will improve discipline among France’s some 12 million pupils.
As the bill was going through parliament in June, he said “Being open to technologies of the future doesn’t mean we have to accept all their uses.”
Critics of the policy believe that the ban will be difficult to enforce in schools, with the government leaving it up to the individual institutions to decide on how to control the use of devices.
The ban will take place when the students return from their summer holidays this year.
In the immortal words of Lucas Leiva:
