France prepares to approve a ban on social media for children under 15
Kyiv • UNN
French lawmakers are set to approve a bill on Tuesday banning access to social media for children under 15. This puts France at the forefront of similar efforts in the EU.
In France, lawmakers are expected on Tuesday to approve a bill banning access to social media for children under 15, placing France at the forefront of similar efforts in the European Union, reports UNN citing AFP.
Details
On Monday, parliamentarians from the upper and lower houses reached a compromise on the text of the bill, paving the way for a vote on its final adoption, which is expected to pass despite criticism from left-wing parties.
"Tomorrow, France will become the first country in Europe to introduce a digital age limit to better protect our children online," French Minister of Digital Technologies Anne Le Hénanff said on the eve of the vote on X.
President Emmanuel Macron has backed the law as a flagship reform of his final term in office and has promised to implement it by September, meaning another element of the bill — a ban on mobile phones in middle schools — will be in effect by the start of the school year.
The social media rule is expected to be introduced in two stages: the first stage involves a ban on creating new accounts by individuals under 15 from September 1. According to the text, the ban will apply to existing accounts from January 2027.
Lawmakers agreed on the need for regulation amid increasingly frequent warnings about the harmful impact of social media on children.
France's health authority stated last year that platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram are harmful to teenagers, especially girls, although this is not the sole cause of the deterioration of their mental health.
However, the two chambers disagreed on the approach.
French senators opted for a two-tier system that distinguishes between platforms that are blacklisted and deemed harmful to a child's development, and those that can still be accessed with parental consent.
But the broader approach of the lower house prevailed, requiring social media platforms to deny new users under 15 and block accounts of children below that age.
Exceptions are provided for sites such as online encyclopedias and educational platforms.
The role of the EU
The blacklist system would have taken more time, including new consultations with the European Commission on criteria, and carried a "small risk" of non-compliance with European law, said centrist senator Catherine Morin-Desailly, who is responsible for the bill in the upper house.
The EU itself is considering a ban on social media after member states, including France, Greece, and Spain, pushed for restricting access.
Last week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said children should have "phased and gradual access" to social media.
Enforcement of the rules will also face the challenge of creating effective age verification systems.
Lawmaker Laure Miller told AFP that platforms must integrate "a tool or tools" of their choice for this purpose, with various options available or under development, including an age verification app presented in April by the European Commission.
After Macron's government suspended its flagship pension reform last year, the social media ban could become its last major domestic change before he steps down in April 2027.
With the adoption of the law, France will join a growing list of over 20 countries that have taken steps to regulate children's access to social media.
In December last year, Australia became the first country in the world to require TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, and other leading sites to delete accounts of individuals under 16, or face heavy fines.