France on Friday rolled out a new nationwide “culture pass” offering €300 (£260) for 18-year-olds to spend on anything from books to computer games after a trial run in 14 areas proved a hit, reports The Telegraph.
Some 800,000 teenagers a year can now look forward to downloading an app offering them credits to pay for cinema, museum and theatre tickets, as well as books, art materials, dance classes, musical instruments or an online subscription.
After heated debate, the pass also allows over-18s to pay for video games but these will not reportedly be on offer in an upcoming culture pass for secondary school and lycée students.
Fear that all the money would go on these was assuaged after trials showed that 60 per cent of the money went on books, with music on 12 per cent and cinema and videos taking up 10 per cent.
Under the two-year test period in 14 French departments, reports say that of the 164,000 who signed up for the culture pass, three-quarters used it at least once.