Camille Moreau // Photo credit: Pixabay 11:42 a.m., February 7, 2024

In the small town of Seine-Port in Seine-et-Marne, the mayor of the town has decided to tackle a scourge: the use of telephones in the street. Called to comment on the subject, the inhabitants of the town voted for the ban on these small objects in the streets of the village. 

Reducing smartphone addiction: this is the ambition of the mayor of the town of Seine-Port, in Seine-et-Marne. In this village, the town councillor, Vincent Paul-Petit, organized a referendum to ban telephones in the street. As soon as you enter the village, banners set the tone: “Community without screens, let’s protect our children!” Thérèse is retired. On Saturday, she said yes to the mayor's initiative. 

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“I hardly see an application”

“I met another person this morning who was on her phone. I said hello to her, she didn’t answer me. In a village like ours, we should at least be able to communicate,” she regrets . A little further on, in front of the primary school, Maïté, a mother, wonders about the implementation of this referendum. 

“I find it difficult to see an application where the municipal police will roam the streets of the village to fine someone who has their phone in their hand,” she emphasizes at the microphone of Europe 1. At the town hall of the common, we claim the extreme nature of the initiative.

Activities proposed to keep children and adults away from screens

"Yes, it's liberticidal if you like. But what freedom are we talking about? Are we talking about the freedom of a child who spends eight or 10 hours a day in front of his screen? I want to "to open up to another freedom which is that of living", explains Vincent Paul-Petit. “Most people understand that we are facing a serious social problem, which primarily attacks children whose brains are not formed,” he judges. 

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Sports and cultural activities will be offered by the town hall to keep screens away from children and adults.