France bans the use of mobile phones in schools 2026

In France it is no longer possible for children to use their mobile phones or tablets at school, not even at recess. The new ban approved by the French Parliament was one of President Emmanuel Macron's promises, which the opposition considers unnecessary. This law comes when parents' concern about the digital revolution is stronger than ever, knowing the need that their children have at all hours to be "hooked" on their mobile phones and the risks that this entails, such as harassment or scams. The law has been approved by a majority in the lower house of the National Assembly although there was already a text from 2010 that prohibited the use of mobile devices during class hours.

The Minister of Education, Jean-Michel Blanquer, has described it as a "law for the 21st century, a law on the digital revolution", according to statements in Parliament. In this way, children who are not 15 years old will be prohibited from using their Smartphone, although they will be allowed to carry it with them, so they will not be able to use it until the end of the school day.

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This new measure will come into force in September 2018 and will prevent children from spending the day glued to a screen, since according to a survey in 2016, almost 9 out of 10 French children between 12 and 17 years old have a mobile phone. This measure also allows the centers to establish their own exceptions in the internal regulations, being the ones who establish the fines and sanctions, and tries to ensure that interpersonal relationships and concentration are favored in the school and some courses at the institute.

In Spain we still do not have regulation regarding this problem

This measure approved in France has made other countries consider following in its wake, as is the case of Spain. The Government is studying the possibility of banning the use of mobile phones in schools. In a recent interview with Efe, the Minister of Education and Vocational Training (FP), Isabel Celaá, assured that she was encountering opposing positions on the presence of cell phones in schools and that it was necessary to study the issue carefully with experts.

In Spain, however, today this problem is not regulated by any specific law, but is directly abdicated in the internal regulations of each school or institute, and a debate is opening up about what needs to be done: prohibit the use of devices so that they do not influence the student's concentration, or allow them to teach young people how to use them and encourage pedagogical use. A UNESCO study on mobile learning in 2012 warned of the dangers of mobile phones in the school environment due to cases of harassment, bullying, distraction and isolation, but also its benefits: promotion of teamwork and student participation in the classroom.

According to data from the National Statistics Institute (INE), in 2014, 1 in 3 10-year-old children in Spain had a cell phone. From 13 onwards it rises to 78.4%, and on 15 to 90%, since then its use has worsened, so we must consider the possibility that these data have increased. At the Torre Vicens Institute in Lleida, it was prohibited to bring cell phones into the center during the 2016-2017 academic year. This measure came after an observation by the teachers themselves of how the students isolated themselves during recess and chatting. In this way, children between 12 and 14 years old were prohibited from going with their mobile phones and the sanctions were communicated: 3 days of expulsion, 10 days if you reoffended. The expulsions were not to their home but to high school classes, including recess.

This concern has reached all spheres of education, which debate what is most correct to do in the face of this growing demand. We, as parents, must limit the use of these devices at home, setting schedules and limiting their use to a few hours a week to prevent our children from acquiring an addiction that is increasingly common among adolescents.