France's Bold Move: Can A School Mobile Phone Ban Improve Kids’ Health?

This experiment mandates that students turn in their phones when they arrive, in contrast to the 2018 regulation that limited phone use but permitted possession.

As debates around school phone bans continue across Europe, will this French trial be the key to healthier, more focused students? Photo Credit: Qonversations/Runway

France is experimenting with a mobile phone ban for students under 15 in nearly 200 secondary schools, aiming to give them a much-needed “digital pause.”

On Tuesday, August 27, 2024, acting Education Minister Nicole Belloubet announced the trial.

This experiment mandates that students turn in their phones when they arrive, in contrast to the 2018 regulation that limited phone use but permitted possession. In January, the prohibition might go nationwide if effective, according to Acting Education Minister Nicole Belloubet.

The project was sparked by worries about how too much screen time can negatively impact kids’ health, leading to problems with sleep, obesity, and decreased physical activity.

A recent report by a commission set up by President Emmanuel Macron noted the detrimental effects of “hyper” phone use, not just on kids but on society as a whole.

According to the 140-page document published in March, there was “a very clear consensus on the direct and indirect negative effects of digital devices on sleep, on being sedentary, a lack of physical activity and the risk of being overweight and even obese … as well as on sight”.

Across Europe, there is controversy about banning phones from schools; most nations only allow them to be used for educational purposes. The Netherlands has a quasi-ban on secondary schools, but Germany has no official limitations. Italy implemented a ban in 2007 and carried it out again in 2022. Portugal is experimenting with phone-free days, and the British government has released guidelines. While there isn’t a national ban in Spain, there is one in certain autonomous regions.

As debates around school phone bans continue across Europe, will this French trial be the key to healthier, more focused students?