The French government has launched a label to promote shops and restaurants that welcome children in a bid to tackle what it calls a 鈥渘o kids trend鈥�.
The red sticker bears the phrase le choix des familles 2025 (the choice of families 2025) and a logo of a pushchair.
Establishments have been able to display it since early July.
鈥淲elcoming families is not marketing, but a societal choice,鈥� said the government鈥檚 high commissioner for childhood, Sarah El Ha茂ry.
She said making children invisible was a 鈥渇orm of violence鈥� towards them.
Proposal to ban child-free venues
Her sentiments have been echoed by socialist senator and former French families minister Laurence Rossignol, who proposes making it illegal to ban children from venues in France and has called for a parliamentary debate on the subject.
However, some 54% of 麻豆传媒映画 are in favour of adult-only spaces, y in May, which also found that 84% of people think "parents too often let their children disturb the peace of others".
While the trend is, for now, limited in France, with 鈥榓dult-only鈥� spaces accounting for just 3% of the offering, it is on the rise.
鈥淭here has indeed been a noticeable increase in places labeled 鈥榥o kids鈥� in France in recent years,鈥� said historian Sylvain Wagnon, professor of education sciences at the University of Montpellier, who has researched the changing role of children in public spaces.
鈥淎lthough still marginal, the phenomenon is rapidly expanding and now affects more and more sectors: hotels, restaurants, festive events, cruises, and amusement parks.鈥�
He attributes the rise to a growing intolerance for children in public spaces.
鈥淪ome adults reject behaviours perceived as disturbing in children, such as crying or restlessness, which fuels the demand for 鈥榥o kids鈥� spaces.
鈥淸There has also been a] decline of children's presence in public spaces. Since the 1980s, children have been increasingly confined to safe, designated zones (playgrounds, schools), reducing their visibility.鈥�
He said this form of discrimination against children 鈥� 鈥渋nfantism鈥� 鈥� 鈥渋s becoming normalised鈥� and 鈥渋s rarely questioned in our society鈥�.
'A break from children'
The growing adult-only trend is 鈥渂ased on a marketing strategy targeting adults in search of peace and quiet, often at the expense of children鈥檚 presence鈥�, he added.
Vanessa Lewis, who runs B&B Domaine Les Roullets in Provence鈥檚 Luberon Valley has an adult-only policy 鈥渢o preserve the serenity for all guests鈥�.
鈥淭his definitely seems to be a selling point for travellers 鈥� including travellers with children, who often comment that, if they are escaping for a break from their children, they don鈥檛 want to have to deal with other people鈥檚 children,鈥� she said.
Other business-owners have gone adult-only for practical reasons.
鈥淧utting up child barriers would have completely blocked the view [from the lodges] when guests relax in the jacuzzi. Also our pool is not secured for children,鈥� said Anne-Caroline Frey, founder of Loire Valley Lodges in the Duporterie Forest.
Deciding to go adult-only was 鈥渁 risky choice鈥� in the beginning, she said.
鈥淣ow after five years, I realise that our customers, who come here 90% of the time to celebrate an important moment or to rest and enjoy nature, the sound of silence, the sounds of the trees, really appreciate the adults-only rule.鈥�
She has noticed an increase in adult-only places in France, and thinks there is a place for them.
鈥淎s a mother of seven and a grandmother, I love kids. But I have always tried to find moments specially dedicated to kids, and also moments with my husband, just him and me.鈥�
Maya Dorsey, from California, is bringing up two children, aged four and two, in Paris. She said the city is child-friendly, but could still do better in some respects.
鈥淚t lacks some of the practical conveniences that make daily life easier for families,鈥� she explained.
鈥淏asic facilities such as changing tables in public restrooms 鈥� especially in restaurants 鈥� are not common.鈥�
A growing normalisation of child-free spaces could have a wider impact on French society, according to Mr Wagnon.
鈥淏y excluding children from public life, we limit interactions between generations, which undermines social cohesion.鈥�
He supports a ban on child-free or adult-only spaces.
鈥淓xcluding children solely because of their age amounts to denying their status as rights-bearing individuals. Would we accept this for elderly people or other societal groups? These 鈥榥o kids鈥� spaces go against the idea of building a shared and inclusive society.
鈥淩ather than banning children, it would be better to improve the design of public spaces to meet the needs of everyone 鈥� including the youngest members of society.鈥�
Reader reactions to 鈥榓dult-only鈥� and 鈥榥o-kids鈥� spaces
The majority of Connexion readers who responded to news of the child-friendly label said they supported adult-only spaces.
鈥淲ith little control over the behaviour of children by parents, teachers etc, I firmly support no kids places. Many restaurants in the UK ban children under 14. This should be the case across Europe.鈥� RC
鈥淚 am all for child-free spaces. There should be some premises where it is possible to have a quiet adult meal without a child banging the table with its spoon.鈥� KG
鈥淗appy to have well behaved children in public spaces. However, if parents don鈥檛 train their offspring to behave in public then they and only they should have to cope with the consequences of their lack of parenting efforts or skills.鈥� MTM
鈥淚t's all very well being 'child friendly' but how about a few places being 'adult friendly'?鈥� BS
However, some readers were against the idea of banning children from certain spaces:
鈥淪o un-French. Awful.鈥� CPJ
鈥淚 wonder how many of those who ask for adult-only hotels/campsites have had children.鈥� JA
