Be careful, if you live or walk around this town of Seine-et-Marne, you will soon no longer be able to take out your smartphone anywhere.
According to the established expression, vox pupuli, vox dei. A recent referendum submitted to the inhabitants of Seine-Port (Seine-et-Marne) decided on the creation of a charter
which will limit the use of smartphones and other screens in public and private spaces. It is therefore forbidden to use your smartphone, in front of schools, in shops, in the street, alone or in a group.
A referendum against the backdrop of the fight against screen addiction
At the question ” Do you approve of the municipal charter for the proper use of screens? », 272 voters out of 2,000 citizens spoke. By a short head, 146 answered yes. So it’s decided, using your smartphone in the street will now be subject to a few rules.
Among other good practices, the charter
will limit the use of smartphones and other screens in public and private spaces. The mayor will issue an order to ban telephones in front of schools, in businesses, while walking in the street and in groups. It will also offer alternative activities for young people and simple telephones for future middle school students. Initiatives that Emmanuel Macron enormously encourages.
“ It’s a real generalized addiction that we have to face. », justifies the mayor of Seine-Port, Vincent Paul-Petit (LR).
A first in France
Seine-Port is the first community to take action against the overexposure of young people to screens. Although there is no legal sanction for non-compliance with the charter, the mayor has taken some incentive measures to enforce the charter.
On the program, a municipal decree prohibiting
the use of smartphones in front of schools, in shops, while walking in the street and when residents are together in a public or associative space.
The charter also encourages parents to ban all screens in the morning, at the table, in the evening before bed and in the bedroom. In return, the municipality will create a sports area and a film club for children and adolescents.
Finally,
If parents do not wish to buy a smartphone for their children until high school, the municipality will offer a simple phone to future middle school students. This will help limit the use of smartphones among young people.
Reactions from residents are mixed
The referendum result is not the only sign that the subject is divisive within the community.
The subject has in fact divided the inhabitants of Seine-Port, some being in favor of the charter to protect children from the apparently harmful effects of screens, others being hostile to the mayor’s interference in their private lives and the restriction of leisure activities of young people, like Maxence and Lenka, 18 years old:
“ No cell phones in public spaces? But there is nothing in Seine-Port for young people! »
As for those who voted in favor of the charter, the reactions were not long in coming.
“ If the rules are the same for everyone in Seine-Port, it will be easier for parents », Testifies a father. For her part, a teacher draws up a clear observation: “ I see the ravages of screens among 3 year olds. Some people don’t know how to use their fingers, stack cubes, pull down their pants to pee “.
Finally, a scalded cat fears cold water, for this resident, who paid the price for using her smartphone in the street: “ I was responding to a text message while walking down the street and I didn’t see the sidewalk. I broke an ankle, a knee, and my nose! “.
If it is still too early for the inhabitants of Seine-Port to learn the lessons of these measures, it is good to remember that
according to the Elfe study, the average daily screen time of a 2-year-old French child is 56 minutes, then 1 hour 20 minutes at 3 and a half years old, and finally, 1 hour 34 minutes at 5 years old and half.
Source: The Parisian
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