The China Mail - 'No-kids' holiday venue? Think again, says France

While Paris is considered one of the most child-friendly cities in the world, more and more venues in France have been shunning children in an effort to shield customers from kids' unpredictable behaviour and noise.

The government on Tuesday held a roundtable meeting with key industry players to discuss a trend that France's high commissioner for childhood, Sarah El Hairy, has said should end.

Socialist senator Laurence Rossignol has introduced a bill that would make it illegal to ban children from venues in France.

"Children are not a nuisance," said Rossignol, adding that the bill is aimed at promoting "a society that is open to children".

"We cannot accept that some people decide they no longer want to tolerate a particular section of the population, in this case children," she told AFP.

El Hairy said excluding children was infringing on their rights, putting pressure on their parents and dividing society.

"There is a growing intolerance, and we must not allow it to take hold," El Hairy told broadcaster RTL. "We are pushing children and families out, and in a way, this is real violence," she added.

"It's not in our culture, it's not our philosophy, and it's not what we want to see as the norm in our country."

On Tuesday, she brought together representatives of the tourism and transport industries, including Airbnb, to discuss the "no-kids" trend.

In France, adult-only services are currently limited.

According to estimates from a travel industry union, they represented around three percent of the market in 2024.

Questions about children's place in society have been at the forefront of the public debate in France in recent years.

The French Federation of Nurseries has repeatedly called on lawmakers to ensure children's right "to make noise".

In the spring of 2024, a report submitted to President Emmanuel Macron said authorities needed to create alternatives to help children reduce the amount of screen time and "give them back their rightful place, including their right to be noisy".

A few months later, the government's High Council for Family, Children and Age (HCFEA) warned about the lack of spaces for children, pointing to the "harmful consequences for their physical and mental health".

Rossignol praised El Hairy's initiative to gather together tourism and transport executives, but said more needed to be done.

"Now we need to go further," she said. "The president's camp must put this issue on the parliamentary agenda."

C.Fong--ThChM