Paris: France’s National Assembly has voted in favour of legislation that would ban children under the age of 15 from using social media, along with growing concern over online bullying, mental health risks, and the broader impact of digital platforms on minors.
Lawmakers approved the bill by 130 to 21. The proposed law would prohibit under-15s from accessing social media platforms, as well as ‘social networking functionalities’ embedded within broader online services. The legislation will now move to the Senate before returning to the lower house for a final vote.
President Emmanuel Macron has identified social media as one of the contributing factors to violence among young people and is urging France to follow Australia’s example.
Australia introduced a world-first ban on social media access for under-16s in December, covering platforms including Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube. Macron has said he wants the French ban to take effect in time for the start of the next academic year in September.
Health emergency
Presenting the bill to parliament, centrist lawmaker Laure Miller said that the social media legislation sets a clear boundary by acknowledging that social media is not harmless. Miller told lawmakers that children are reading less, sleeping less, and increasingly comparing themselves to one another, describing the initiative as ‘a battle for free minds.’
Australia’s move is now being examined by several countries, including Britain, Denmark, Spain, and Greece. At the European level, the European Parliament has called for the European Union to introduce minimum age limits for access to social media, though responsibility for imposing and enforcing such limits lies with individual member states.
In France, there is broad political and public support for restricting minors’ access to social media. Far-right lawmaker Thierry Perez described the situation as a ‘health emergency,’ questioning the cost to children despite the increased freedom of expression enabled by social media platforms.
The proposed French ban would require social media companies to block access for young teenagers using age-verification mechanisms that comply with European Union law. However, enforcing such restrictions remains challenging.
Australia’s government has acknowledged that the rollout of its ban has been uneven, after children claiming to be under 16 flooded social media feeds with messages boasting about their continued ability to access platforms.
The French legislation would also expand an existing ban on smartphones in junior and middle schools to include high schools.
Public backing for the measure appears strong. A Harris Interactive survey conducted in 2024 found that 73 per cent of respondents supported banning social media access for under-15s.
Teenagers interviewed on the streets of Paris expressed divided opinions, with some acknowledging the dangers associated with social media, while others argued that a blanket ban is excessive.
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