France bans smoking in parks, beaches and public areas to protect children

Dubai: Lighting a cigarette near a park, beach, or bus stop in France could land you a fine — as part of the government’s sweeping new effort to create “the first tobacco-free generation” by 2032.

The ban, which came into effect and applies to outdoor spaces frequented by children — including public gardens, school entrances, and sports venues — marks a significant shift in a country long known for its cigarette culture. Smokers face fines of €90 (if paid within 15 days) or €135 ($150) after that.

France now joins a growing list of countries restricting public smoking, but stands out for enforcing a nationwide ban on beach smoking — unlike Spain and Italy, which apply such rules only in certain regions.

Not everyone supports the move. “The government keeps taking away basic freedoms,” one Parisian student told CNN. But officials insist the health benefits are worth it.

Minister of Health Catherine Vautrin called it an “absolute priority” to protect young people and denormalize smoking. “At 17, you should be building your future, not your addiction,” she said.

France’s smoking rate is at its lowest since the 1990s. Still, around 23 per cent of adults smoke daily, and the country has one of Europe’s highest tobacco use rates. A 2024 KPMG report for Philip Morris estimated nearly 40 per cent of cigarettes consumed in France are smuggled, making it Europe’s largest illicit tobacco market.

According to the new rules, people should also not smoke within a 10 metres radius of schools, swimming pools, libraries and other places that hurt minors.

The health ministry said it would announce the minimum distance for smoking in these areas in the coming days.

The ban “is a step in the right direction, but remains insufficient,” said Yves Martinet, president of the National Committee Against Smoking (CNCT), criticising the continued permission to smoke on cafe terraces.

“The minister points to the protection of children,” but children “also go to the terraces,” Martinet, a pulmonologist, told AFP.

He lamented the absence of e-cigarettes from the text, saying flavours are used to “hook young people”.

“For a measure to be effective, it must be clear - no consumption of products containing tobacco or nicotine in public,” Martinet said.

But Frank Delvau, president of the Union of Hotel Trades and Industries (UMIH) for the Paris region, said a ban on smoking on cafe terraces “would only shift the problem because people on terraces would go smoke next to these establishments”.

“Smokers and non-smokers can coexist” on terraces, the “last places of conviviality and freedom,” said Franck Trouet, of hospitality association Hotels and Restaurants of France (GHR).

Passive smoking causes between 3,000 and 5,000 deaths annually in France, according to official estimates.

Most smokers in France start young — nearly 90 per cent before the age of 18. While cigarette sales to minors have been banned since 2009, enforcement remains weak. A recent study found that two-thirds of tobacco shops still sell to underage customers.

The new law doesn’t ban e-cigarettes outright but does introduce limits on nicotine content and youth-oriented flavors like cotton candy. Stricter vaping regulations are expected by 2026.

Environmental concerns also played a role: France discards an estimated 25,000 tons of cigarette butts each year.

Smoking is still allowed on restaurant and bar terraces — a tradition that public health advocates are hoping to challenge next. Amélie Eschenbrenner of France’s National Committee for Tobacco Control told CNN that lobbying from tobacconists, who enjoy widespread support, has stalled wider bans.

Still, France has come a long way since its 2007 indoor smoking ban. “People got used to it,” Eschenbrenner said. “We believe the same will happen with these new rules — and eventually with terrace smoking too.”

The government is also cracking down on disposable e-cigarettes and aims to create “tobacco-free zones” across the country.