Back to school: France tests smartphone ban in 200 middle schools

Nearly 200 middle schools in France began testing a “digital break” this week —a complete ban on cell phones in the classroom. The aim is to reduce screen time and combat cyberbullying, a move welcomed by both school staff and students.

If the trial proves successful, the ban will be implemented in all schools starting January 2025.

At Claudine Hermann Middle School in the southern suburbs of Paris, students start their morning by handing in their mobile phones.

“It gets students used to being without their phones all day and teaching them to live differently even during recess instead of always being on their phones,” said Fabien Leroux, a school supervisor.

Victor, an 11-year-old student, said, “We’re here to have fun, so there’s no point in having a phone.”

Halima, another sixth-grade student, agreed, saying, “I think it’s a very good idea because phones can be distracting during lessons. It’s better not to have them in front of us during class.”

The mobile phones are stored in five heavy-duty briefcases throughout the school day. The middle school invested in these briefcases, each costing €300, with all expenses covered out of pocket. The State does not contribute to funding this test ban, leaving the financial burden to the country’s departments responsible for funding middle schools, some of which consider it too heavy.

François Sauvadet, president of the Association of Departments of France, estimates that if the ban were to be implemented nationwide, it could cost the country’s 7,000 middle schools around €125 million in new equipment, according to domestic media reports.

However, France’s outgoing Education Minister, Nicole Belloubet, disagrees. During a visit to Claudine Hermann Middle School on Tuesday, she said, “The financial costs seem fairly modest to me. The briefcases chosen by this school to store mobile phones cost about 60 euros each and were paid out of their own funds.”

“But of course, I wouldn’t want there to be any misunderstanding with the Association of Departments of France. I will contact them again if there needs to be any clarifications,” Belloubet explained in an interview with Euronews.

As a new government has yet to be formed following the early parliamentary elections called by President Emmanuel Macron, the caretaker administration is managing day-to-day affairs. The decision on whether this ban should be expanded nationwide next year will be decided by the future education minister.