Fighting the smartphone ‘invasion’: the French village that voted to ban scrolling in public
Seine-Port is introducing restrictions on phone use in streets, shops and parks – but young people say there’s little else to do Angelique Chrisafis Angelique Chrisafis in Seine-Port @achrisafis Sat 10 Feb 2024 05.00 GMT
A picture of a smartphone with a red line through it serves as a warning in the window of a hairdresser’s shop in a French village that has voted to ban people scrolling on their phones in public. “Everyone is struggling with too much screen time,” said Ludivine, a cardiology nurse, as she had her hair cut into a bob, leaving her phone out of sight in her bag. “I voted in favour, this could be a solution.”
Seine-Port, in the Seine-et-Marne area south of Paris, with a population of fewer than 2,000 people, last weekend voted yes in a referendum to restrict smartphone use in public, banning adults and children from scrolling on their devices while walking down the street, while sitting with others on a park bench, while in shops, cafes or eating in restaurants and while parents wait for their children in front of the school gates. Those who might check their phone’s map when lost are instead being encouraged to ask for directions.
No, I was not suggesting that, but you already knew that - if not, feel free to rejoin this conversation once you have left that reception area and increased your attention span beyond the 3 minute of waiting you’re trying to kill.
Also, just to be clear: the French proposal is bullshit, although at its core, there probably is some merit. I do not agree with the execution. In the end, it’s a minorty of people helplessly clawing at something they don’t understand. That doesn’t mean your argument of “tHeY ShOuLd aLsO BaN BoOkS” is any more meaningful.
Smartphone addiction exists, and we are currently exploring the correlation of screen time, social media consumption etc. and depression, anxiety and ADHD in both teenagers and adults.
All I wanted to point out was that reading books and spending time in front of a screen are not equal.
Yeah it’s a major problem. But I see it more as a cultural problem not one that can’t be solved with legislation.
Well except maybe make using your phone in a theater punishable by prison time. I’d support that because WTF people?
But besides in places where it will disturb others, then there isn’t much that can be done at a regulatory level.
