France expected to approve social media ban for under-15s

Parliamentarians from the upper and lower houses reached a compromise on the bill’s text on Monday, paving the way for a vote on its final adoption

French lawmakers are expected to approve a bill banning social media access for children under 15 on Tuesday, putting France at the forefront of similar efforts in the European Union.

Parliamentarians from the upper and lower houses reached a compromise on the bill’s text on Monday, paving the way for a vote on its final adoption, which is expected to pass despite criticism from parties on the left.

Tomorrow, France will become the first country in Europe to introduce a digital age limit to better protect our children online, French Digital Minister Anne Le Henanff said on X.

President Emmanuel Macron has championed the law as a flagship reform of his final term in office and pledged to enforce it by September, meaning another element of the bill, a mobile phone ban in secondary schools, would be in place by the beginning of the school year.

The social media rule is expected to be rolled out in two stages, the first blocking under-15s from creating new accounts from September 1. The ban would apply to existing accounts from January 2027, according to the text.

Lawmakers agreed on the need for regulation, as warnings have multiplied over the harmful effects of social media on children.

France’s public health watchdog last year said platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok were detrimental to adolescents, particularly girls, though it was not the sole reason for their declining mental health.

The two chambers had disagreed on approach, however.

French Senators had opted for a two-tier system distinguishing between blacklisted platforms flagged as harmful to a child’s development, and those that could still be accessed with parental consent.

But the lower house’s broader approach demanding social media platforms refuse new users under 15 and suspend accounts belonging to children under that age prevailed.

Exceptions are provided for sites such as online encyclopaedias and educational platforms.