Starting in the 2026 school year, France will expand its rules about mobile phone use in schools, according to Tunisie numérique. Since 2018, mobile phones have been banned in elementary and middle schools, and now the restriction will be extended to high schools, covering all levels from kindergarten through high school. However, teaching unions have expressed concerns about the difficulty of enforcing this new rule quickly, especially in high schools where students are between 15 and 18 years old. This move is part of a growing global trend. Tunisie numérique reports that many countries are increasing restrictions on smartphone use in schools, driven by concerns about students' ability to focus, excessive screen time, cyberbullying, and the influence of digital technology on teenagers. UNESCO reported in March that 114 education systems have implemented national bans on mobile phones in schools, covering 58% of countries worldwide. This trend has grown rapidly: in June 2023, only 24% of countries had such bans, but by early 2025, that number had risen to 40%, and by March 2026, it had climbed nearly 20 percentage points. Several other countries have introduced similar measures. In the Netherlands, mobile phone restrictions in secondary education began in January 2024 and were later expanded to primary schools. Brazil passed a federal law in January 2025 regulating phone use in schools for children aged 4 to 17. Italy, Finland, Denmark, Belgium, Hungary, and South Korea have also introduced or strengthened similar rules. According to The Hindu, additional countries like Bolivia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Georgia, the Maldives, and Malta have implemented national bans in recent months. In Israel, mobile phones have been banned in primary schools since February 2024, with plans to extend the rule to middle schools at the start of the 2024-2025 academic year, as reported by The Times of Israel in May. In the United States, 39 states have introduced laws or policies aimed at limiting mobile phone use in schools. A recent survey cited by The Wall Street Journal found that for the first time, more Americans support a mobile phone ban in schools than oppose it.