Opponents of the blanket ban on mobile phone use said it is unlikely to wean students off their phones. The legislation — approved by members of France's lower house National Assembly on Thursday — would require students to keep their phones out of sight. However, there was no penalty specified in the law for their use. Lawyers said that teachers do not have a right to confiscate non-dangerous belongings from students.

Supporters of the bill said smartphone usage among children has worsened cyberbullying, eased access to pornography and hampered the ability of youngsters to interact socially.

Read more: Smartphone addiction messes up brain chemistry

Critics say the law is unlikely to wean students off their smartphones

Richard Ferrand, head of French President Emmanuel Macron's 'Republic on the Move' party in Parliament, said the law would improve children's social skills."When, on a playground, you see young people next to each other all staring at their phones," the consequence is "to break the link of camaraderie and sharing," Ferrand said.

Some 93 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds had a cellphone, according to a 2016 survey by France's electronic communications and postal regulatory authority (ARCEP), up from 72 percent in 2005.

President Emmanuel Macron hopes the bill will pass through Parliament in time to impose the ban before the start of the next academic year in September.

Read more: 100,000 German teenagers addicted to social media, study finds

Fighting for the internet: Social media, governments and tech companies Free speech or illegal content? Whether hate speech, propaganda or activism, governments across the globe have upped efforts to curb content deemed illegal from circulating on social networks. From drawn-out court cases to blanket bans, DW examines how some countries try to stop the circulation of illicit content while others attempt to regulate social media.

Fighting for the internet: Social media, governments and tech companies Social media law After a public debate in Germany, a new law on social media came into effect in October. The legislation imposes heavy fines on social media companies, such as Facebook, for failing to take down posts containing hate speech. Facebook and other social media companies have complained about the law, saying that harsh rules might lead to unnecessary censorship.

Fighting for the internet: Social media, governments and tech companies Right to be forgotten In 2014, the European Court of Justice ruled that European citizens had the right to request search engines, such as Google and Bing, remove "inaccurate, inadequate, irrelevant or excessive" search results linked to their name. Although Google has complied with the ruling, it has done so reluctantly, warning that it could make the internet as "free as the world's least free place."

Fighting for the internet: Social media, governments and tech companies Blanket ban In May 2017, Ukraine imposed sanctions on Russian social media platforms and web services. The blanket ban affected millions of Ukrainian citizens, many of whom were anxious about their data. The move prompted young Ukrainians to protest on the streets, calling for the government to reinstate access to platforms that included VKontakte (VK), Russia's largest social network.

Fighting for the internet: Social media, governments and tech companies Safe Harbor In 2015, the European Court of Justice ruled that Safe Harbor, a 15-year-old pact between the US and EU that allowed the transfer of personal data without prior approval, was effectively invalid. Austrian law student Max Schrems launched the legal proceedings against Facebook in response to revelations made by former US National Security Agency (NSA) contractor, Edward Snowden.

Fighting for the internet: Social media, governments and tech companies Regulation In China, the use of social media is highly regulated by the government. Beijing has effectively blocked access to thousands of websites and platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Instead, China offers its citizens access to local social media platforms, such as Weibo and WeChat, which boast hundreds of millions of monthly users.

Fighting for the internet: Social media, governments and tech companies Twitter bans Russia-linked accounts Many politicians and media outlets blame Russia's influence for Donald Trump's election victory in 2016. Moscow reportedly used Facebook, Twitter, Google, and Instagram to shape public opinion on key issues. In October 2017, Twitter suspended over 2,750 accounts due to alleged Russian propaganda. The platform also banned ads from RT (formerly Russia Today) and the Sputnik news agency.

Fighting for the internet: Social media, governments and tech companies Facebook announces propaganda-linked tool With social media under pressure for allowing alleged Russian meddling, Facebook announced a new project to combat such efforts in November 2017. The upcoming page will give users a chance to check if they "liked" or followed an alleged propaganda account on Facebook or Instagram. Meanwhile, Facebook has come under fire for not protecting user data in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Author: Lewis Sanders IV (dj)



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kw/bw (AFP, Reuters)