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Macron Backs Smartphone Ban in French Lycées From September 2026

The proposal enters a feasibility review at the Education Ministry, with legal authority and on-the-ground enforcement under scrutiny.

Overview

  • During an exchange in Mirecourt, Emmanuel Macron said he wants phones barred in senior high schools starting with the 2026–27 school year.
  • Education minister Édouard Geffray is studying how to implement the policy, as a separate bill by deputy Laure Miller to extend the ban has already been filed.
  • France’s 2018 law already outlaws phones from nursery through collège, and a “portable en pause” regime was generalized in collèges at the 2025 rentrée.
  • Macron also asked the government to deliver by year‑end an emergency court procedure to remove false or dignity‑attacking content from social networks, targeting decisions within about 48 hours.
  • He reiterated support for a digital majority at 15 and floated tighter rules on paid political ads online, while teachers and students questioned feasibility, costs for lockers or pouches, and likely circumvention.