France Bans Usage of Smartphones in Schools

Paris (August 01, 2018): French children will have to leave their smartphones and smart devices at home or switched off when they are at school.

A rule passed by lawmakers in French parliament, which states that the ban on smartphones as well as other kinds of internet-connected devices, such as tablets, applies to schoolchildren between 3 and 15 years of age.Jean-Michel Blanquer, Education Minister of France, said in a statement to national media, that we know today that there is a phenomenon of screen addiction, the phenomenon of bad mobile phone use. Our main role is to protect children and adolescents. It is a fundamental role of education, and this law allows it.

Alexis Corbière, a deputy from the left-wing Unbowed France party and a former teacher, said that this isn’t a 21st century law in our eyes, but a law from the era of news channels and binary debate.

He added, referring to a 2010 law, that in reality, the ban has already been made, and I don’t know a single teacher in this country that allows the use of phones in class.