France’s lawmakers vote to ban social media for under-15s

Lawmakers in France’s National Assembly passed a bill on Monday that would ban the use of social media by children under 15.

They voted 116 against ⁠23 in favor of the bill.

This law will now go to the Senate, the upper house of the Parliament.

President Emmanuel Macron has supported the ban, saying it is necessary to protect French children and teenagers from excessive screen time.

He called Monday’s vote a “huge step” and stressed in a post on X that “Our children’s brains are not for sale. Not to American platforms, not to Chinese networks.”

What to know about the bill?

The draft bill proposes to ban people under 15 from the “social networking functionalities” built into social networks and broader platforms.

However, this does not include online encyclopedias and educational platforms.

Platforms will need to set up effective age-verification mechanisms to block access to young teenagers.

The law also extends the existing ban on smartphones in junior schools to include high schools.

Officials want the measures for the new accounts to be implemented starting in the 2026 school year.

Young and lonely: feeling isolated in a connected world

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Why does France want to impose such a ban?

France would be the second country to impose such a ban after Australia recently banned social media for children under 16.

As social media use has increased, it has raised concerns about excessive screen time.

And there are fears about its negative impact on child development and mental health.

France’s public health watchdog ANSES said this month that platforms like TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram have a number of harmful effects on teenagers, especially girls.

The risks listed include exposure to cyberbullying and violent content.

‘It is not that the entire internet has been shut down’

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widespread support for the ban

There appears to be widespread support in the country for curbing minors’ access to social media.

A Harris Interactive poll in 2024 showed that 73% of the public supported a ban on social media use for people under the age of 15.

“With this law, we are setting a clear boundary in society and saying that social media is not harmless,” centrist lawmaker Laur told the House while introducing the bill.

He added, “Our children are reading less, sleeping less and comparing themselves to each other more.” “This is a battle of free minds.”

Far-right lawmaker Thierry Perez called the bill a response to the “health emergency”.

“Social media has allowed everyone to express themselves, but what will our children pay for it?” Perez said.

Edited by: Louis Olofse