The use of smartphones by primary and secondary school students in the French-speaking regions of Belgium and the capital Brussels has been banned, Belgian media reported on Thursday.
According to a decision taken by the Wallonia-Brussels Education Network (WBE), primary and secondary school pupils will be banned from taking smartphones with them from the 2024-2025 school year, which starts next Monday in 373 French-speaking schools.
The ban will affect 132,600 pupils. The government in the Flemish-speaking part of the country is also expected to agree to a similar ban.
Each school in Belgium has its own rules regarding the use of electronic devices: some schools prohibit bringing any gadgets, while others have more flexible regulations.
According to WBE, the decision was taken as students were taking pictures of each other on smartphones and posting them on social media, leading to an increase in harassment offences.
