France has passed a bill prohibiting children under 15 from using social media. This is a significant measure strongly pushed by President Emmanuel Macron to protect youth from the negative effects of excessive screen use.
The French National Assembly, the lower house, approved the bill by a vote of 130 to 21 after an overnight session from Monday (26 Jan) into Tuesday morning. The next step is for the bill to be reviewed by the Senate, the upper house, before it is enacted into law.
President Macron expressed his congratulations on the vote result via the platform X, calling it a major step forward in protecting French children and young people.
The bill also includes a ban on mobile phone use in high schools, making France the second country worldwide to enact such legislation, following Australia’s ban on social media use for those under 16 announced last December.
In a video released on Saturday, Macron stated, "The emotions and feelings of our children and teenagers should not be bought or manipulated, whether by platforms from the U.S. or algorithms from China."
French authorities aim for these measures to take effect on new accounts starting from the beginning of the 2026 school year.
Gabriel Attal, former Prime Minister and leader of Macron’s Renaissance party in the lower house, said he hopes the Senate will pass the bill by mid-February so the ban can be enforced from 1 September.
Attal added that social media platforms will have until 31 December to deactivate existing accounts that do not meet the age requirements. Besides reducing the mental health impact on teenagers, Attal emphasized that the measure also aims to counteract certain powers trying to dominate youth thinking through social media platforms.
He said France could become a pioneer in Europe within a month. "We can change the lives of young people and families and potentially alter the country’s fate in terms of independence." The bill clearly states, “Minors under 15 are prohibited from accessing social network services provided by online platforms.” However, educational platforms and online encyclopedias are exempted.
Meanwhile, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) stated in a recent report that platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram have several adverse effects on teenagers, especially girls, though they are not the sole cause of worsening mental health problems. Identified risks include online bullying and exposure to violent content.
Enforcement will require an effective age verification system, which is currently being developed at the European Union level.
However, some voices oppose the measure. Arnaud Saint-Martin, a lawmaker from the far-left France Unbowed (LFI) party, criticized the measure as a form of digital authoritarianism and an overly simplistic answer to the negative impacts of technology.
On Monday, nine child protection organizations called on the government to hold platforms accountable rather than banning children from social media.
. Source:channelnewsasia
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