French Parents, Teachers Push Back on Teen Screen Time as 9 in 10 13-Year-Olds Own Smartphones
Updated
Updated · FRANCE 24 English · May 26
French Parents, Teachers Push Back on Teen Screen Time as 9 in 10 13-Year-Olds Own Smartphones
3 articles · Updated · FRANCE 24 English · May 26
Some French parents and schools are trying to curb teen smartphone use by delaying device ownership and removing screen-based homework, arguing children do not need smartphones for school.
Nine in 10 French 13-year-olds own a smartphone, children get their first one at about age 9, and the national health authority says they spend more than four hours a day on screens outside school.
At a hospital near Orléans, psychologist Sabine Duflo says most screen-addicted patients are 14-year-old boys hooked on free multiplayer games built around random rewards, and she argues withdrawal is the only effective treatment.
One Paris middle school has stopped using the Pronote platform and asked teachers to avoid homework requiring screens, responding to parents who say schools send contradictory messages by demanding online access.
These efforts remain limited, but they reflect growing concern in France over links between heavy screen use and poorer sleep, anxiety, depression, exposure to harmful content and declining attention spans.
Are phone bans for teens a distraction from regulating the tech giants who design addictive products?
Are screen-free movements protecting kids or leaving them unprepared for our all-digital world of 2026?
If social media is so harmful, why might banning it actually hurt the most vulnerable teens more?
France’s 2026 Teen Social Media Ban: A Test Case for Europe’s Digital Regulation and Youth Mental Health
Overview
France is moving forward with major legislation to regulate teen screen time and social media use, driven by growing concerns about the impact of digital platforms on young people and calls to address a health emergency. The bill has faced careful legal review and was redrafted to comply with both French and European law, especially after a similar 2023 law was struck down for violating EU rules. While supporters see the new law as urgent, critics like former prime minister Elisabeth Borne warn about its complexity and stress the need to enforce existing bans first. This debate highlights France’s careful approach to protecting youth online.