A Father Who Used A Signal Jammer To Keep His Kids Offline At Night Now Faces Jail Time

A father in France is facing a hefty fine and possible jail time following his well intentioned attempt to keep his kids off the internet and cell phones late at night. His use of a signal jammer was so effective that he not only kept his kids off the internet, but those in a nearby town as well.

The Agence Nationale Des Frequences (ANFR) received an unusual report of something affecting the internet and cellular service in the town of Messanges, located in France. The odd interruption of service was made even more bizarre when the agency found that it happened every weeknight starting at midnight and ending at 3 AM. The investigation determined that it was being caused by some type of signal jammer used to block radio frequencies.

The report stated, "It was therefore in the middle of the night that the Touluse Regional Service of the ANFR began its investigation... What could well have generated such a disturbance at times when the whole city is asleep?"

As the agency continued looking into the situation, it found a characteristic shape on a graph (seen below). The measurement left no doubt in the investigator's mind that it was the signature of a wave jammer, which is prohibited in France. The search for the origin of the jammer led the investigator to a house near the coast. After knocking on the door and confronting the dad, he admitted he was in fact using the signal jammer to keep his teenage kids from accessing the internet with their smartphones instead of sleeping.

"His children had indeed become addicted to social networks and other applications, in particular since the confinement imposed due to the epidemic of Covid-19," explained ANFR in its report.

While the father had no intention of keeping an entire town off the internet, the use of his signal jamming device is illegal in France. He is facing a penalty of up to approximately $34,000 (30,000 Euros) and six months in jail.

If anyone in the United States is thinking of using similar technology to keep their kids off the internet, be aware that the use of jammers is illegal in the US as well. Just as in France, if found guilty in America you could face large fines and imprisonment.

The case is ongoing in France, as ANFR has handed over all its findings to local authorities. However, the dad no longer has his signal jammer to keep his kids from accessing their favorite social media sit