Starting in September of 2018, the French government will impose a ban on all mobile phones for primary, junior, and middle schools, according to The Guardian. Although students will be able to bring their smartphones to school, they will not be allowed to use them at any point during the school day— even during breaks.
The intention of the ban is to create a separation between children and technology. The French education minister, Jean-Michel Blanquer, says the ban is supposed to serve as a “public health message to families.” He added, “It’s good that children are not too often, or even at all, in front of a screen before the age of seven.”
According to Guardian writer Kim Willsher, parents and students have both expressed concern about how the ban will be implemented and whether it’ll really keep kids off their phones. But the government is pressing forward. In fact, classes may start to look a bit more like ministerial meetings. In considering how the ban will be put into effect, Blanquer said, “In ministerial meetings, we leave our phones in lockers before going in. It seems to me that this as doable for any human group, including a class.”
Read the full article on The Guardian.