During the Senate’s topical questions to the government on April 9, 2025, concerning the ban on smartphones in secondary schools, French Education Minister Élisabeth Borne confirmed the extension to all secondary schools of the “digital break” from September 2025. This announcement follows a question from Senator François Bonhomme (LR), concerned about the “harmful use” of cell phones among young people.
This initiative builds on Law n°2018-698 of August 3, 2018, which already banned the use of mobile phones in kindergartens, elementary schools and secondary schools during school hours, while allowing students to keep them on their person. The move to a total ban (deposit in secure lockers) marks a further step towards this “digital break” deemed necessary for the well-being of young people.
Educational and social benefits of banning smartphones in secondary school
The experiment conducted in 190 secondary schools since September 2024 is showing convincing results. Feedback points to an improved school climate (less tension, greater social interaction) and better student concentration.
“The longer you keep your smartphone within reach, the lower your attention span and learning performance. There’s no longer any doubt about it“, stresses Prof. Klaus Zierer.
Exposure to electromagnetic radiation: a neglected health imperative
Scientific data reveal underestimated dangers requiring a more ambitious political response and enhanced government action:
- Acute and chronic overexposure to electromagnetic radiation:
Official SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) measurements underestimate actual exposure when the phone is carried in the pocket or at head level. Overexposure is accentuated among young people, as shown by the work of Prof. Om Gandhi, an internationally recognized specialist and member of Phonegate Alert’s Scientific Advisory Board.
- The Phonegate scandal revealed this industrial deception back in 2016 and has since obtained the withdrawal or software update in France of 58 models of cell phones and the first two connected objects in 2024.
- Worrying increase in brain cancers: Santé Publique France in a report published in March 2025 documents an alarming +230% increase in glioblastomas among 15-39-year-olds (2000-2020), partly correlated with the use of cell phones (electromagnetic fields). This increase is mirrored in the general population, with a 4-fold increase in 30 years in this highly aggressive, virtually incurable brain tumor.
- Specific vulnerability, including infertility risks: Developing tissues (brain, testicles) absorb up to 2 times more electromagnetic radiation than those of adults. Numerous international scientific studies have highlighted the risks to fertility associated with carrying phones in trouser pockets.
- Effects at non-thermal thresholds: an international study published in March 2025 by CNRS scientists has demonstrated deleterious non-thermal effects at levels up to 100,000 times lower than regulatory standards.
“This law is necessary, but insufficient. The government must integrate health risks into its education policy,” insists Dr. Marc Arazi.
Phonegate Alert’s position:
“We welcome this awareness, albeit belated, but a global understanding of health issues remains to be established. The school ban must be accompanied by a genuine policy of prevention of the risks associated with electromagnetic radiation”, concludes Dr. Marc Arazi, President of the association.
As for ANSES, as early as 2016, its recommendations to the public authorities are clear and can be summed up by the introduction of regulatory provisions discouraging the use of cell phones before the age of 14.
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