FRANCE TO BAN SMOKING IN CHILD-FRIENDLY OUTDOOR SPACES STARTING JULY 2025
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
France will implement a sweeping new anti-smoking regulation from July 1, 2025, banning smoking in outdoor areas where children are likely to be present. The measure, announced by Health and Family Minister Catherine Vautrin on Thursday, is aimed at protecting minors from secondhand smoke exposure.
The ban will apply to beaches, public parks, bus stops, school entrances, and sports venues. It is also intended to curb the widespread practice of smoking in front of schools, a concern long raised by health advocates.
“Tobacco must disappear where there are children,” Vautrin said in an interview with Ouest-France newspaper. “The freedom to smoke stops where children’s right to breathe clean air starts.”
Violators of the new rule face fines of up to €135 ($154). However, the restriction will not extend to outdoor café terraces or to users of electronic cigarettes.
France already prohibits smoking in numerous public places, including workplaces, airports, train stations, and playgrounds. The new measure marks a significant expansion of anti-smoking efforts in the country, which has one of the highest smoking rates in Europe.
According to the World Health Organization, approximately 35 percent of the French population smokes—well above the European average of 25 percent and the global average of 21 percent.
Public health groups and anti-smoking advocates have welcomed the move, describing it as a vital step toward safeguarding children’s health and reducing long-term tobacco-related harm.
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