France to Ban Students From Using Mobile Phones in Schools

If the ban comes to pass, students wouldn't even be allowed to look at their cell phones at lunch or during other breaks.

Next fall, students in France may have one less distraction during the school day: cell phones.

The French government is planning to ban the use of mobile phones in all primary and secondary schools starting in September 2018 for students aged 15 and younger, according to The Telegraph. If the ban comes to pass, students wouldn't even be allowed to look at their cell phones at lunch or during other breaks.

"These days the children don't play at break time anymore, they are just all in front of their smartphones and from an educational point of view that's a problem," France's Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer told the news outlet. "Are we going to ban mobile phones from schools? The answer is yes."

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The report notes that 93 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds have a mobile phone, and that parents are "divided" over the ban. Gerard Pommier, head of one of France's largest parents' associations, Peep, told The Telegraph that he doesn't think this type of ban is even possible.

At this point, it's unclear how schools would enforce the ban. In some Paris schools, students already have to place their phones in a box when they enter their classroom. In others, they put their phones in designated bags that reside in the office for the entire school day. Another idea is that students will have to put their phone in a locker during the day.

"We are currently working on this and it could work in various ways," Blanquer reportedly said. "Phones may be needed for teaching purposes or in cases of emergency so mobile phones will have to be locked away."

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