World News

French high schools rush to implement new phone ban for older teenagers

Education unions warn that administrative requirements and daily student app reliance will make swift enforcement difficult.

Updated Aug 31, 2026 · 11:23 UTC1 reports

The short version

France is expanding its existing mobile phone ban in primary and middle schools to high schools serving students aged 15 to 18 starting this September.
Education unions report that schools cannot immediately enforce the rule because internal policy changes require formal consultations and votes.
The government is also attempting to redraft a separate social media ban for under-15s after the country's constitutional council rejected the initial legislation as unconstitutional.

French President Emmanuel Macron approved expanding mobile phone bans to high school students aged 15 to 18 this month.[The Guardian]
France already prohibits mobile phone usage in primary and middle schools for students up to age 15.[The Guardian]
Jérôme Fournier of the SE-Unsa trade union stated that immediate implementation by September 1 is impossible due to mandatory consultation and voting processes required to update internal school regulations.[The Guardian]
Many French high school students depend on smartphone applications to access timetables, enter cafeterias, and check out library books.[The Guardian]
The French constitutional council struck down a proposed social media ban for under-15s over concerns regarding vague definitions, freedom of expression restrictions, and age-verification privacy issues.[The Guardian]

It remains uncertain how individual high schools will define the physical boundaries of the phone ban, such as whether exceptions will apply to playgrounds or specific student populations.[The Guardian]
Legal experts express doubt over whether the government can redraft the social media ban for under-15s to comply with both European law and French constitutional standards before May.[The Guardian]