RTL Today - Smartphone ban: Planned nation-wide smartphone phone ban in Luxembourg's schools making strides

The Luxembourgish government's plans to introduce a national smartphone ban in schools are in full swing.

Technically, there won't be a complete ban on smartphones, but the government's new policies regarding their use in schools will be quite restrictive nevertheless.

On Friday, Luxembourgish PM Luc Frieden's government adopted an amendment that may be welcomed by some schoolgoers and displease others.

Two grand-ducal regulations will be amended to severely restrict the use of smartphones in Luxembourgish schools, particularly among Luxembourg's youngest pupils.

In primary school, which caters for children up to the age of 11, smartphones will be banned on school premises. In all primary schools, "smartphones will be completely banned starting Easter 2025," according to the Ministry of Education's website.

In secondary schools, teenagers will have to switch off their smartphones and leave them in a safe place during lessons. This measure has already been introduced on a smaller scale at the European school in Kirchberg.

"Between now and the Pentecostal holidays, all secondary schools must have a strategy in place to ensure that pupils are physically separated from their smartphones during lessons," writes the Ministry of Education. "As part of their autonomy, each lycée will be able to decide whether to further restrict smartphone use, particularly for certain age groups, according to time slots or specific areas of the school's building."

"The aim is not to simply prohibit but to ensure that people are able to withdraw from the virtual world for a few hours," explained the PM, who wants to improve relations "between pupils and their teachers."

Some exceptions will be maintained for devices used for ‘educational purposes’ and for pupils with ‘special educational needs ’ or health problems.