The ban on smartphones in high schools from the start of the school year, the government has clarified its stance. On Monday, August 24, 2026, after the cabinet meeting, spokesperson Maud Bregeon confirmed that the prohibition of mobile phones in high schools could take effect as soon as the new school year begins, i.e., next week. The key point: the government says the measure can be implemented, not that it will be fully in place by September 1. In Île-de-France as elsewhere, high school students are being asked to stow away their smartphones, following the model already in use at elementary and middle schools.
This measure is part of the law governing young people's use of digital technology. President Emmanuel Macron has decided to promulgate the text, excluding the censored articles, in order to implement the already validated tools. As a result, the ban on smartphones in high schools now rests on a stable legal and legislative framework that schools can enforce starting in September.
This rule extends the ban that has been in place from kindergarten through middle school since 2018. The principle is simple: no smartphones in class, in the halls, or during breaks—from the first bell to the last. The ministry sees this as a clarification and harmonization of the expected conduct throughout schooling, detailed on the Éduscol portal.
Adopted this summer by Parliament, the law is not fully in force yet. On August 14, the Constitutional Court struck down the ban on social networks for anyone under fifteen, its flagship provision, at the request of deputies from La France Insoumise and the Socialist Party in the name of free expression and communication.
The policy banning mobile phones in high schools, that measure, wasn’t affected by this censorship. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu now has to rethink the wording of the social media section, taking the Constitutional Council’s remarks into account. The Elysee Palace’ s stated objective is to establish a stable framework by next spring to better protect minors.
On the ground, the schedule is rubbing people the wrong way, and that’s where the snag lies. The circulaire du 2 juillet 2026 invites schools to prepare, with two caveats: use for medical purposes and exceptional exemptions. But many high schools will probably not have time to put everything in place before the start of the school year, as warned by the secretary-general of the National Union of School Leaders (Snpden-Unsa) to ICI, who cited a real calendar problem.
The question of equipment and funding (lockers, anti-radiation pouches) remains, placing a burden on local authorities. In Île-de-France, where the Region manages the high schools, only a handful of voluntary institutions had so far been supported, on an ad hoc basis. The coming weeks will reveal whether the ban on mobile phones in high schools will become a reality from September 1st everywhere, or be rolled out in stages depending on the resources of each school.
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