Paris: French lawmakers are set to vote on a bill that would ban children under the age of 15 from accessing social media platforms, as the government steps up efforts to protect young people from the potential harms of excessive online use.
If approved, France would become one of the latest countries to introduce strict age-based restrictions on social media, following Australia, which implemented a nationwide ban on users under 16 across platforms including Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube.
The proposed French law is expected to take effect before the start of the next academic year if it receives final parliamentary approval. The legislation, which was agreed upon by a joint committee of senators and deputies on July 20, will be put to a final vote in parliament on July 21.
Under the proposal, children younger than 15 would not be allowed to create new social media accounts from September 1, while platforms would be given four months to remove existing accounts belonging to underage users. The restrictions would not apply to educational websites or online encyclopaedias, allowing children to continue accessing digital learning resources.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who has repeatedly expressed concern about the impact of social media on young people, has urged children to spend less time on their phones and more time reading. Stronger rules are needed to help young people develop into responsible citizens.
France’s proposal comes as governments across Europe continue exploring stricter online safety measures for children. The European Commission is also developing broader rules aimed at improving protections for minors online and will assess whether France’s legislation complies with existing European Union laws.
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