Luxembourg restricts smartphones in lycées: a new phase of the Screen-Life-Balance strategy
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After the ban on smartphones in primary schools and after-school clubs came into force on 22 April, the Luxembourg Ministry of Education has announced new measures concerning the country's lycées. They will take effect from 2 June 2025, just after the school holidays on Trinity.
Education Minister Claude Meisch unveiled the changes as part of a major Screen-Life-Balance campaign aimed at protecting mental health and improving the learning environment. The impact of excessive screen time on children and adolescents is already undeniable: impaired concentration, anxiety, sleep problems, poor academic performance.
According to the new regulations, each lyceum has chosen one of three levels of smartphone restrictions agreed upon with teachers, students and parents. All 38 lyceums are required to implement at least one rule: smartphones must be physically separated from students during lessons. Six lyceums limited themselves to this basic level.
The majority of institutions (27 out of 38) went further - they banned the use of smartphones also in canteens, libraries, halls and other areas outside classes, as well as during certain periods of the day. Finally, five lyceums adopted the most stringent form: complete isolation of phones for the entire school day. Devices are handed in in the morning and returned in the evening.
Wi-Fi from age 15 only, iPads by age and model
New technical measures also come into force on 2 June:
- access to Wi-Fi eduroam will only be allowed to students from the age of 15;
- filters and defences against inappropriate content on school networks are strengthened.
As for iPads, the devices remain part of the educational environment, but access to them will now be age-appropriate. In the lower grades, iShare and iClass are being introduced - models that involve collective and limited supervised use. In the upper grades, individual access via the myDevice system, but with more flexible settings.
The old one2one format, in which every student received a tablet regardless of level, will be phased out from the start of the next school year.
Digital maturity instead of digital dependency
The main idea of the reform is not to ban technology, but to teach how to use it consciously. The Ministry speaks of a "transition to digital maturity": children should not just know how to handle devices, but understand their impact, limits and risks. This is especially relevant in the context of social networks, algorithms and online addictions faced by teenagers.
The Screen-Life-Balance campaign is as much about regulation as it is about cultural change. The support of teachers, parents and the students themselves is a key element. As Minister Meisch emphasises, "the smartphone should not dictate the pace of a teenager's life, school should remain a space of attention, communication and personal growth".
