France bans smartphones and tablets from schools to counter 'screen addiction' in children and teenagers
France bans
smartphones and tablets from schools to counter 'screen addiction' in children
and teenagers
·
Smartphones and tablets
banned in all schools in France from September
·
The new ban
will apply to all schoolchildren until the age of 15
·
Ban
fulfils a campaign promise by French President Emmanuel Macron
·
By AFP and SARA MALM FOR MAILONLINE
·
Smartphones and tablets have been banned from all French
schools ahead of the academic year, after a new law was voted through
Parliament yesterday.
The phone
ban will apply to all pupils in France up to the age of 15, as of the
start of the new term in September.
The new law
fulfils a campaign promise by President Emmanuel Macron, but it has been
criticised by the opposition as a 'publicity stunt'.
2
Lawmakers of Macron's centrist LREM party and its allies
gave final approval to the bill on Monday, while MPs on the left and right
abstained from the vote.
The opposition has called the bill 'cosmetic', and said
it will not make any impact in real life.
·
Under the new law, all connected devices must
be left at home or remain switched off until the end of the day.
Schools may make exceptions for 'pedagogical use',
extra-curricular activities, or for disabled pupils.
High schools
can decide individually whether to impose a partial or total ban on connected
devices.
A previous law, passed in 2010, already prohibited
smartphone use during class.
Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer said the earlier
law did not apply across the board and lacked teeth, while the new law moves
France 'into the 21st century'.
'It sends a message to French society' as well as
countries around the world, he said.
Nearly nine in 10 French teens aged 12 to 17 own a
smartphone.
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