US EditionFrench lawmakers approve bill banning social media for children under 15
The bill requires platforms to block under-15s using age verification and aims to address mental health risks like cyberbullying and addiction, with 73% public support, lawmakers said.
- This month the National Assembly opened debate on a law to restrict social media networks for under‑15s, with Macron saying `We cannot leave the mental and emotional health of our children in the hands of people whose sole purpose is to make money out of them.`
- Deputy Laure Miller drew up the text late last year after chairing a parliamentary inquiry into TikTok, while President Emmanuel Macron made the issue central after being sidelined by the 2024 Assembly elections.
- The bill would block access for under 15-year-olds to Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok; the state media regulator would list harmful sites, while others require explicit parental approval, building on the junior and middle schools ban.
- Without fast‑track, the bill risks stalling despite likely support from pro‑Macron parties, LR, and RN; if approved Monday, it moves to the Senate next month.
- The move sits within a global trend responding to evidence of mental‑health harm, with the bill redrafted after Council of State questions and similar 2023 laws struck down; Denmark, Greece, Spain, Ireland, and the UK are considering related steps.
333 Articles
333 Articles
French Lawmakers Back Ban on Social Media for Under-15s
French lawmakers have approved a bill banning access to social media for children under 15, paving the way for the measure to enter into force at the start of the next school year. The bill also prohibits the use of mobile phones in high schools. The legislation was adopted by...
Members of the National Assembly, the lower house of the French Parliament, supported a bill prohibiting children under the age of 15 from using social media, reports BFM TV. Another part of this package of bills prohibits the use of mobile phones in schools.
The legal text provides for age verification mechanisms and responsibilities for digital platforms, although these technical aspects will still need to be specified in subsequent regulations.
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