New government announcement against “screens”. “Nearly 200 colleges” will experiment with a total ban on mobile phones from the start of the school year, announced the resigning Minister of National Education, Nicole Belloubet, during her back-to-school press conference on Tuesday, August 27.
To date, the use of mobile phones has already been prohibited by law in schools and colleges since 2018. But not the mobile phone itself which “must be turned off and put away upon entering the school”recalls the ministry on its website. Franceinfo returns in five questions to the outlines of this announcement.
1 What is the purpose of this ban?
By banning mobile phones in colleges, the ministry hopes “prevent online violence, limit exposure to screens and enforce the rules governing the use of digital tools”In particular, he wants a “improving the school climate” by limiting “online harassment” and the “dissemination of violent images” that smartphones allow as well as an effect on the “student results” by eliminating a source of distraction in the classroom.
Nicole Belloubet notably invoked the conclusions of the commission on screens, created at the initiative of Emmanuel Macron, to take stock of scientific knowledge on the effects of screens and formulate recommendations for use, particularly with regard to the youngest. Tragic stories such as that of Lindsay, who committed suicide in May 2023 in the context of harassment at college, also regularly put the subject of harassment and cyberbullying back in the news.
2 How will this experiment take place?
The experiment will be conducted in 199 volunteer colleges and will involve nearly 50,000 students, the Minister of National Education announced at a press conference. But Nicole Belloubet did not communicate the names of the establishments concerned: “The list will be stabilized at the start of the school year”according to the ministry.
In April, Nicole Belloubet spoke on France Inter about her wish for a “digital break at college” which would consist of “leave your cell phone at the entrance” of the school establishment. Concretely, “each establishment sets up its own protocol to organize the arrangements for the ‘digital break’ within it, in conjunction with the department on which it depends, particularly in its logistics aspect”the ministry said.
“Establishments that can will use equipment already present in the establishment (lockers for example). For the others, the departmental councils have been asked to participate in the purchase of equipment (dedicated lockers, anti-wave pouch, etc.)”explains the Ministry of National Education to franceinfo. “The State is not participating in the financing of this experiment.”
3 What will the penalties be in the event of non-compliance?
The experiment “requires the modification of the internal regulations of the establishment”underlines the Ministry of National Education. This modified text “will have to indicate the technical and organizational modalities of this experiment”. But it does not specify what the sanctions could be for middle school students who do not respect this ban.
On its website, in the event of non-compliance with the use of the telephone, the ministry calls for: “a tailored, individual and graduated response”Who “may take the form of a school punishment (extra homework, detention, etc.), confiscation of the device now authorized by law or, for the most serious cases, a disciplinary sanction provided for in article R. 511-13 of the Education Code”.
4 Will this experiment be generalized?
“The generalization of this ‘digital pause’ should be able to take place from January 2025”announced Nicole Belloubet at a press conference. A very precise timetable for an experiment that has not even started yet, complains headmaster Nicolas Bonnet, member of the SNPDEN-Unsa school heads’ union.
“[Nicole Belloubet] has already announced that the experiment will be generalized in January. However, the principle of an experiment is to evaluate it and then ask the question of what to do next.”
Nicolas Bonnet, member of the SNPDEN-Unsa unionto franceinfo
“We spend our time evaluating students, but we are incapable of evaluating our reforms and measures”denounces the head of the establishment. “We would find it very politically problematic if a resigning minister generalised anything.”also deplores Jean-Rémi Girard, president of the National Union of High Schools and Colleges.
According to the Ministry of National Education, voluntary colleges will be “encouraged to evaluate the effects” of the ban, “in particular on the school climate, the well-being and academic success of students”taking into account in particular “the point of view of all stakeholders in the educational community (students, parents of students, school staff, local authorities)”.
5 What are the reactions of professionals?
While the goal of combating cyberbullying is often considered laudable, professional opinions range from cautious optimism to criticism of a dispensable “gas factory”. Among the concerns, They talk about the cumbersome nature of the system needed to prevent even the smallest phone from getting through the gates. “To ensure that all students have left their phones and that they are not keeping a second one on them, this would require strict checks on them at the entrance. To be effective, the same vigilance would be required as in airports.”stressed Sophie Vénétitay, general secretary of the Snes-FSU teachers’ union, in The Figaro in April.
If the ban requires that cell phones be collected at the entrance to the establishment, “It will request financial resources from local authorities to purchase secure lockers and staff to monitor the deposit and collection of said telephones.”insists Jérôme Fournier, national secretary of the teachers’ union SE-Unsa. “Furthermore, the liability of establishments will be even greater in the event of theft or damage.”
Whatever the method, if the ban is generalized, “It will be yet another hat that is added [pour les chefs d’établissement] and which does not correspond to our profession”fears Marie Tamboura, principal of a middle school in Montreuil and member of the national executive of SNPDEN-Unsa. “We remain perplexed”summarizes Abdelkrim Mesbahi, president of the FCPE. The parents’ representative also hopes that the ban will not prevent middle school students from bringing a phone with them on the way to school, especially for rural youth who have to travel long distances.
“We don’t even have a teacher in every class! That must be the real issue of National Education, we don’t need half measures.”
Abdelkrim Mesbahi, president of the FCPEto franceinfo
Above all, it is not certain that banning telephones in middle schools will have a significant effect on cyberbullying. “Cyberbullying usually takes place outside of school hours, when children are using their smartphones or tablets at home, potentially out of sight of their parents.”recalls Samuel Comblez, director of operations of the association e-Enfance/3018. But he believes that “Any experimentation is good to take. And the less digital tools we have in our hands, the less temptation we have to harass and the less risk we have of exposing ourselves.”