For her part, Valérie Glatigny, Minister of Education, explains that this ban put in place by the government aims for several objectives such as “improving student concentration, returning to real social interactions, preventing cyberbullying, reducing a sedentary lifestyle and sleeping disorders, or even better equity, as not all students have access to smartphones of the same range“.
FWB schools must adapt their internal regulations from January 1 and no later than August 25, 2025. These rules will be applied from the start of the 2025-2026 school year.
Same story in Flanders
In Flanders, the ban on telephones at school will also be in place at the next school year. Smartphones will be banned not only in Dutch-speaking primary education, but also in secondary education, the Flemish government decided on Friday on a proposal from Minister of Education Zuhal Demir (N-VA).
For first and second year classes, the ban will apply both during lessons and in the playground. For the third year, the ban will only apply during class hours. “This ban is simple common sense,” according to Minister Demir. “This will improve students’ concentration, academic performance and well-being.”
Many countries already ban telephones at school, such as France, Finland, Italy and, more recently, the Netherlands.
