Student protests in France build friendships
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Students in France are forming friendships while protesting at their high schools.
After years of reduced social interaction due to educational reforms, the current wave of protests is giving teenagers opportunities to connect. A 2023 study by the French Education Nationale showed that only 66.3% of high school students reported having “many” friends, a drop from 87.7% in 2018, and even more pronounced among girls, falling from 85.8% to 57.9%.
The reforms implemented starting in 2019 increased the importance of specialized coursework, which reduced the amount of time students spent together in common classes. Before the changes, students in a typical class were grouped into an average of 14.5 groups based on options and schedules. After the reforms, that number rose to 36 groups, making it harder to build connections.
Sociologist Timothée Chabot explains that high school friendships are often based on collective experiences and learning social codes, and these bonds tend to become more individual later in life. Students participating in the protests report enjoying the extended time spent together, something that has been rare in recent years. Some teachers have noticed an increase in solitary students, but protestors emphasize their movement is about issues like school funding, not just social connection, framing discussion as a form of resistance.
