France To Ban Smoking Outdoors Near Children Effective July 1: 'They Have The Right To Clean Air'

Picture this: you're on a sun-soaked beach in France, soaking up the view. You reach into your bag, pull out a cigarette, and spark up—only to find yourself breaking the law. Come July, lighting up in many of France's beloved outdoor spaces will become illegal under a sweeping new anti-smoking policy.

On Thursday 29 May 2025, the French government announced it would introduce a nationwide ban on smoking in public spaces where children are present, part of an ambitious effort to create a smoke-free generation. The measure, set to take effect on 1 July 2025, is one of the strictest crackdowns on smoking in the country's history.

Smoking to Be Banned in Public Areas With Children

French Health Minister Catherine Vautrin unveiled the new regulation, saying: 'Wherever there are children, smoking must disappear.' As Euronews reports, Vautrin declared that France's children 'have the right to breathe clean air', and the law will help set the tone for a healthier, smoke-free future.

The new ban will apply to beaches, parks, bus stops, and areas near schools. These are all common spots where families and children gather—spaces now set to become smoke-free zones. However, according to the Daily Mail, café terraces and e-cigarettes are exempt for now.

Offenders could face a €133 (£114) fine for lighting up in restricted areas. While the government is not currently planning to raise cigarette taxes, Vautrin left the door open to future hikes.

Why France Is Cracking Down on Smoking

This move is the latest salvo in France's long-running battle with tobacco, which remains one of the nation's leading causes of preventable death. Each year, roughly 75,000 people die in France from smoking-related illnesses.

In 2023, the French government launched the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP), featuring 26 concrete measures designed to cut smoking rates. Among them: hiking prices, enforcing plain packaging, and restricting vape sales.

The Health Ministry is also focusing on vapes by slashing allowable nicotine levels and culling the number of available flavours. These changes aim to reduce vaping among youth, a rising concern across Europe.

Public sentiment backs the crackdown—recent surveys show 6 in 10 people in France support banning smoking in public spaces.

A Europe-Wide Push to Curb Tobacco

France isn't alone in its anti-smoking drive. From 1 June 2025, the UK will ban disposable vapes, following concerns about their addictive appeal to children. The British government first proposed the measure in January, after a spike in youth vaping driven by sweet, fruit-flavoured products.

Spain, too, is turning up the heat. Spanish Health Minister Mónica García recently announced plans to prohibit smoking in open-air nightclubs and on terraces—steps that were swiftly approved by the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System.

As France prepares to roll out its new ban, the message is clear: smoking near children is no longer socially—or legally—acceptable. Whether this move sparks broader reform or meets resistance remains to be seen. But with support from both government and the public, France is making a bold play to protect future generations—one cigarette at a time.