France imposes smartphone ban in schools

CHILDREN in France have been banned from using smartphones and other internet-enabled devices in school.

French lawmakers passed a law on Monday banning children in schools from having smartphones, tablets or other devices that can access the web.

The new rules apply to pupils aged three to 15 years. From September, when they return to school, French pupils must leave their phones at home. Secondary schools (lycées) will be allowed to decide whether to apply a total or partial ban on smartphones, it has emerged.

Blennerville National School, outside Tralee, Co. Kerry, became the first school in Ireland to bring in a ban on smartphone use inside and outside school – and many others are expected to follow suit.

A law passed in France in 2010 already banned smartphone use during class, but now children are prohibited from using smartphones and other devices in schools in general.

There are exceptions for ‘pedagogical use’, extra-circular activities and for disabled pupils, but otherwise the law generally prohibits smartphones in all premises and during school activities outside the school building, it was reported.

French president Emmanuel Macron had promised during his campaign to rid schools of distracting smartphones.

The new law passed with the support of lawmakers from his Republic On The Move! party and liberal allies, while lawmakers on the left and right abstained, calling the law ‘cosmetic’.

There was a successful introduction of a home-and-school ban at Blennerville NS which parents and teachers agreed to. Both have said the initiative has had an extremely positive effect on pupils’ concentration and moods.

Amid growing concerns over social media bullying, declining classroom productivity and the possibility of children accessing lewd material, St John’s National School in Kenmare, Co. Kerry, is also pushing for an all-out ban on smartphones,.

The Digital Devices in Schools Bill here aims to crack down on the use of smartphones in schools, requiring primary school pupils to hand the devices in for safekeeping for the duration of the school day, and for secondary pupils to keep them switched off and out of sight.

During a Seanad debate, the work of the Irish Daily Mail and our Protect Our Kids Online campaign was acknowledged as having helped initiate an important discussion on the ‘overuse of digital devices’. A Mail poll in January found more than two-thirds of people support a smartphone ban for children aged under 16.