To limit the use of screens among young people, the mayor of a town in Seine-et-Marne surveyed its residents. 54% of them said they were in favor of banning smartphones in the streets, particularly in front of businesses and schools. What are the rules?
This is the first time that a French city has issued a municipal decree to limit the use of mobile phones in public spaces. 54% of residents voted in favor of this new measure which aims to regulate the use of screens, particularly among young people. Concretely, smartphones will no longer be authorized in front of schools, in businesses, in the street, as well as in public and associative spaces. However, if this rule is not respected, there will be no sanction. The objective: to raise awareness among residents and particularly parents about the risks of overexposure to screens. For Vincent Paul-Petite, the mayor of the Seine-Port commune in Seine-et-Marne, this is a public health problem.
A charter recommends that parents ban screens in the morning, at the table and in the evening before going to bed, as well as in the children’s bedroom. The mayor of the town also plans to create a sports area and a film club to allow children and adolescents to entertain themselves other than through the screens. Another reward: the town will offer a simple telephone to young college students whose parents have not given in to purchasing a smartphone until they return to high school.
The residents who opposed this measure believe that this decree has no value and that it is not up to the mayor of the city to get involved in parental education. They also see the practical side of the smartphone for finding their way in the street, calling to ask if there is a need to buy a baguette for dinner… Remember that a group of experts must make proposals to Emmanuel Macron by March to regulate minors’ access to smartphones, tablets and video game consoles. Their work will also make it possible to assess the impact of screens on physical and mental health among young people as well as devices that aim to control uses for families such as parental control.