France to press ahead with high school phone ban from next month

The ban is expected to take effect from the start of the new school year, which begins in September

The French government said on Monday it would press ahead with a ban on mobile phones in high schools from next month, but trade unions warned that the measure might be hard to implement quickly.

In July, France’s parliament approved legislation banning both social media access for children under 15 and mobile phone use in high schools.

It is part of a push by President Emmanuel Macron for children to spend less time in front of screens, which the government fears is arresting their development.

But earlier this month, the country’s top court struck down the social media provision, dealing a blow to Macron.

However the Constitutional Council did not rule on the separate provision banning mobile phone use in high schools.

On Monday, government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon said Macron “has decided to promulgate the law” containing the ban on phones, despite the Constitutional Council striking down its flagship provision.