Overview
- Emmanuel Macron said in Mirecourt that the “Portable en pause” policy would likely be broadened to lycées from the next rentrée and announced a major communication and prevention campaign for parents.
- No national law currently bans phones in high schools, as the 2018 prohibition applies only to nursery, primary and middle schools, leaving lycées governed by each school’s internal rules that often restrict use in class.
- The policy was piloted in 2024–2025 with more than 32,000 middle school students using locally chosen storage solutions such as boxes, pouches or lockers and was generalized in collèges in September.
- Headteachers and unions cite costs, storage logistics, crowding risks and limited staffing for enforcement, and they note that extending restrictions to breaks would require new legislation or votes by school governing boards.
- Parent groups question tougher phone limits alongside expanding digital tools for homework and messaging, with the pause package also described as suspending ENT and Pronote updates on evenings and weekends to encourage disconnection.