France rolls out trial ban on using mobile phones in secondary schools
Tens of thousands of pupils across France are going through a slightly different back-to-school term this autumn – being deprived of their mobile phones in a trial ban on their use.
At some 200 "colleges" – the middle schools French children attend between the ages of 11 and 15 – a scheme is being trialled to ban the use of mobile phones during the entire school day.
The trial of the "digital pause" – which encompasses more than 50,000 pupils – is being implemented ahead of a possible plan to enforce it nationwide from 2025.
Right now, pupils in French middle schools are obliged turn off their phones.
This latest experiment takes things a step further, requiring children to hand in their phones upon arrival.
Taking to social media site X this Wednesday, France's minister for education posted: "When you arrive at school, just put your phone down: that's the new rule for the start of the new school year. And it's being tested in over 200 schools.
"We're introducing a real digital break, for the well-being of our pupils. That's what schools are all about!"
'Arrested development'
The project is part of a move by President Emmanuel Macron for children to spend less time in front of screens, which the government fears is arresting their development.
In high schools – which French children attend between the ages of 15 and 18 – internal regulations may prohibit the use of a mobile phone by pupils in "all or part of the premises".
Pupils will have to hand in their phones on arrival, putting them in boxes or lockers.
Read more on RFI English
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