As of: February 8, 2024, 3:57 p.m
By: Marc Dimitriu
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More and more people are distracted by their smartphones in public.
(Symbolic photo) © IMAGO/William Perugini
A municipality in France voted on whether to ban the use of smartphones in public.
The majority voted for it.
Seine-Port – The smartphone is now part of everyday life for most people.
We text, make phone calls, spend hours on social media, use it for navigation and much more.
Some even speak of a real addiction.
French community votes to ban cell phones in public
A municipality in France has now declared war on this and has voted on a ban on the use of smartphones in public, as
Le Parisien
reports.
Of the approximately 2,000 residents, 272 voters took part, which, according to the newspaper, corresponds to a turnout of just under 20 percent (not all residents are eligible to vote).
146 voted “yes” and 126 voted “no”.
The proponents of the provision won by a surprisingly narrow margin of 54 percent.
Mayor Vincent Paul-Petit had still expected a larger gap.
“It’s so intrusive.
People feel like we are interfering in their lives.
I do not want that!
But there is a public health problem.
We have to help them,” he explained.
No smartphones at school, in companies or on the street - there are no sanctions for violations
It is the first time that such a regulation has occurred in France.
After the vote, the mayor must now issue regulations to ban smartphones in front of schools, in businesses, while walking on the street and even when residents gather in a public or community space.
The crux of the provision is that there are no legally possible sanctions if someone does not comply with the new regulation.
How many will actually follow the provision remains an open question.
Young people are not enthusiastic about the cell phone ban - advocates are against it
But the regulation also affects private life.
Because she suggests parents to ban all screens at the table in the morning, before going to bed in the evening and even in the bedroom itself.
This is likely to lead to some arguments with teenagers.
In order to offer the youth something in return, the community will create a sports area and a film club for children and young people.
Not everyone is enthusiastic about it.
This is what 18-year-olds Maxence and Lenka said to
Le Parisien
: “No cell phones in public spaces?
But there is nothing for young people in Seine-Port!
It is better to hold parents responsible because children imitate their behavior (on smartphones). For other respondents, the new regulation encroaches on “privacy”.
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Proponents, like the head of a kindergarten, object.
She tells the newspaper: “I see the devastating impact of screens on three-year-olds.
Some people don’t know how to use their fingers to pee.”
In the Irish town of Greystones there is a similar attempt to combat smartphones, where they are only allowed from the age of 11.
It is possible that more and more cities and municipalities will follow these two pioneers in the future, including in Germany.