France Promulgates Law Banning Mobile Phones in High Schools

President Emmanuel Macron has promulgated a law that extends the ban on mobile phones to high schools, with the measure intended to take effect for the start of the school year in September. The law, published in the Journal Officiel on August 25, modifies the Education Code to allow individual schools to determine the specific application and exceptions of the ban through their internal regulations. The legislation also requires schools to include plans for raising awareness about the addictive nature of social networks and the harmful effects of excessive screen exposure.

The phone ban remains in effect despite a recent ruling by the Constitutional Council, which struck down a separate part of the legislation that would have banned social media access for children under 15. Government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon confirmed that the phone ban was not censored by the court and provides a stable legal framework for implementation.

While the government presents the move as a way to restore serenity to learning and protect child development, teaching unions have expressed doubt. These unions warn that the measure may be difficult or impossible to implement effectively within such a short timeframe and argue that the approach is overly simplistic given the complexity of the issues involved.