August 28, 2024 – 06:45
In France, mobile phone use is banned for students under 15 in 200 high schools on a test basis, according to the foundation. GuardianDuring the trial, children must hand over their phones at school entrance. This would extend a 2018 law that banned primary and secondary school children from using their mobile phones at school, but they did not have to hand over their digital devices. If the trial is deemed successful, the ban could be extended to all schools from January.
According to a 140-page report published in March, it would be a good idea for children to not be able to use mobile phones at all until they are 11, after which they can only use the internet at a maximum. Young people can use the internet between the ages of 13 and 15, but social media is still not recommended.
Several countries in Europe are experimenting with similar measures in schools. Although there is no central ban in Germany, most schools only allow the use of digital devices if they are used for educational purposes. In the Netherlands, a recommendation has been in force since the beginning of the year similarly restricting the use of mobile phones in secondary schools. The British government also left the decision to schools in a recommendation issued in February. In Portugal, for example, they are experimenting with introducing phone-free days.
Under a decree published this summer, the use of mobile phones in Hungarian schools will be banned from the academic year starting in September. Budapest’s Imre Madách High School has already indicated that it will not take away digital devices from students before class.
