Belgium Joins France in Banning Mobile Phones in Schools

Belgium will follow France in introducing a nationwide ban on mobile phones and other
electronic devices in schools, extending restrictions across preschools, primary and
secondary education from the 2025-26 academic year. The move, part of a wider
European shift to curb digital distractions, places Belgium firmly in line with France,
which has enforced similar measures since 2018, and the Netherlands, which
introduced restrictions in 2024.

The Belgian ban will apply across all three of the country’s language communities –
French, Flemish and German-speaking, unifying a patchwork of regional rules. Devices
will be permitted only for educational purposes, health reasons or emergencies, with
schools given autonomy to decide how to enforce the restrictions.

France’s ban, which covers primary and lower secondary schools, was introduced amid
concerns about children’s concentration, cyberbullying, and mental well-being. Belgium’s
policymakers have cited the same pressures, echoing arguments that phones in
classrooms undermine focus and deepen social inequalities. Teachers in both countries
have complained that policing smartphone use eats into learning time and heightens
tensions between staff and pupils.

In Belgium’s French-speaking community, which includes Wallonia and Brussels, strict
rules were already in place: primary schools banned phones completely last year, while
secondary schools imposed heavy restrictions. The new nationwide regulation will
extend these prohibitions to preschools and create consistency with France’s model of
sweeping exclusion.

The German-speaking region is set to go further still, with a ban that covers not just
lessons but also breaks, echoing the tougher French interpretation that schools must be
“phone-free zones.” Flanders, meanwhile, will broaden its restrictions from preschools
and primary schools into secondary education. Younger pupils will face an outright ban,
while older students will be allowed phones only outside lessons, a phased approach
that mirrors gradual enforcement seen in France.

Supporters argue that Belgium is catching up with its neighbor, aligning with a broader
European consensus that unfettered access to screens damages children’s capacity to
learn. Critics, however, warn that blanket bans can be blunt instruments, difficult to
enforce and potentially exclude pupils who rely on technology for accessibility or
learning support.

Still, the political momentum appears to favor tighter control. France has framed its
ban as a cultural shift, encouraging children to engage in face-to-face interaction.

Belgium’s leaders are now presenting theirs in similar terms – a way to protect education
from the constant hum of notifications and to restore classrooms as spaces of focus and
equality.

Photo – Anadolu Agency EUROPE