BRUSSELS — Belgium’s French-speaking schools are the latest to prepare a ban on smartphones.
The incoming Walloon government struck a coalition deal on Thursday that includes a plan to bar smartphones from schools in the southern Belgian region as well as hundreds of schools in Brussels.
Primary schools will soon have to impose a full ban and secondary schools will be encouraged to ban devices for kids in the first three years, the coalition deal said.
Governments and political groups across Europe have pushed for stricter measures on how kids use smartphones and social media, leaning into growing concerns that devices and addictive social media apps pose risks to mental health. The Netherlands imposed a smartphone ban in secondary schools in January and its primary schools will follow suit in September.
“Taking into account the impact of screens on health, concentration, intimidation, the government will deploy a policy of vigilance,” the new Walloon government’s coalition text said. Kids will still be allowed to use digital tools as part of courses.
The ban will enter into force once it is put into law by the incoming government.
Belgians elected a new federal parliament, regional parliaments and members of the European Parliament on June 9 and political parties are negotiating a new federal government as well as regional governments at the same time.
French-speaking parties were the first to strike a government agreement on Thursday, comprised of the center-right liberal Reformist Movement (MR) and the centrist Les Engagés (the Committed Ones).
These two parties will form a regional Walloon government to handle issues like housing and agriculture as well as a French-speaking government to handle policies including education and culture. MR and the Committed Ones want to lower taxes and shrink the regional budget deficit.
The deal struck between the two parties puts an end to decades of having the powerful Socialists (PS) party in government in southern Belgium.
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