France: Why a small village decided to ban smartphones

On site

Seine-Port is about an hour’s drive south of Paris. France’s first radio broadcast was broadcast here in November 1921, but apart from that, only a few people know about the small community. But now: a declaration of war, unique in the entire country.

There has been a ban on cell phones in public spaces in the town with almost 2,000 residents for a week. When shopping, going for a walk or sitting around, you have to keep your cell phone in your pocket. This is especially true around schools, because in Seine-Porte there is concern that kids are glued to screens too much.

Small village, big reaction

The idea of ​​a smartphone-free zone goes back to the mayor. Vincent Paul-Petit from the conservative Les Républicains has ruled the town since 2020. “When the children and young people come home from school, they no longer talk to each other. They look at their phones,” he tells the French online magazine “20 Minutes” .

As a “small provocation” he introduced the anti-cell phone ordinance, which was put to the citizens for a vote: 146 eligible voters voted for his proposal, 126 against it. A rather moderate voter turnout. But one that is attracting attention across France: it is the first time that a municipality has ordered itself to ban cell phones.

However, the procedure is not unusual: at the local level in France there are regular referendums in which residents can have a say in what should apply in their community. In Paris, electronic rental scooters were banned from the city last year – and an increased parking fee for SUVs was recently decided.

In the small Seine-Port, residents are, strictly speaking, one step ahead of the president in the Élysée Palace with their vote: at his large-scale press conference in January, Emmanuel Macron announced that a group of experts should develop proposals such as access for children and young people smartphones or tablets can be better regulated. Local politician Vincent Paul-Petit says he doesn’t want to interfere in people’s lives, but that he wants to create an incentive with concrete rules that makes people think: In his community, students will be offered a simple telephone in the future if parents promise to avoid buying a smartphone until high school.

However, cell phones are not legally banned in Seine-Port, nor can anyone be punished for defying the mayor’s order. Vincent Paul-Petit and his colleagues see the whole thing as a caring educational measure: adults should be role models and refrain from scrolling more often.

And parents could now appeal to the mayor if there was a dispute with their children about screen time. In this way, it is hoped, the good old tradition of street talk will be revived. Direct contact and time for a chat on the corner – there is also a touch of nostalgia about the project that the local young people probably don’t have much use for. To compensate, the community has committed to improving leisure activities: a sports area and a film club are to be set up. And otherwise the kids can still listen to the radio together – but not via stream.