France Bans Social Media Access for Children Under 15

French lawmakers Tuesday passed banning access to social media for children under the age of 15. The bill became law after being backed by both French legislative chambers, the Senate and National Assembly.

France's government has touted it as a major legislative step.

"France will become the first country in Europe to introduce a digital age limit to better protect our children online," France's Digital Minister Anne Le Henanff said on X.

The law would add France to a growing list of countries that have already introduced similar restrictions. The restrictions could come into force by the beginning of the new school year in September.

Which measures would the social media ban include?

Under the draft legislation, under 15-year-olds would not be allowed to open a social media account from September 1. Beyond that, platforms would have until January 1, 2027 to close children's existing accounts.

The bill would also ban the use of mobile phones in high schools and require social media platforms to introduce age verification measures in accordance with France's privacy regulator.

One age verification solution could be the age verification app created by the European Commission, and already tested in some EU member states.

The app works like a third-party service, where users offer an official ID to the app, which, in turn, provides age confirmation to restricted sites or applications.

Social media ban a legislative priority for President Macron

The draft law comes after France's health watchdog warned of the harmful effects for children of using platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat in a December report. Officials counted reduced self-esteem and higher exposure to content that is linked to self-harm, suicide and drug consumption as potential risks.

According to the health agency, one in two teenagers spends between two to five hours daily on their smartphone, and 58% use their devices for social media.

The initiative to regulate social media gained momentum as President Macron made it a key part of his domestic agenda in his last year as President.

"We left you in this jungle and it robbed you of your attention," Macron ⁠said to teenagers at a high school in April, while talking about the absence of rules on social networks. "We need to slow down and help you become adults, and above all citizens."

The final vote on Tuesday comes follows deliberations between French legislative chambers, which had previously suggested diverging approaches to the social media ban. While the the Senate preferred a narrower approach which would have created a blacklist banning only certain platforms, the National Assembly favored a broader approach which banned all social networks for children — the latter version was ultimately adopted in the draft legislation.

Could the EU also introduce a social media ban?

Last December, Australia became the first country worldwide to put a social media ban for under 16-year olds in place, and has since been joined by others countries like Indonesia and Turkey.

Though France would be the first EU country to introduce a social media ban plans are underway — or under discussion — in other EU member states, such as Greece, Austria and Slovenia.

Moreover, the bloc as a whole could soon move to introduce social media regulations for minors.

EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen suggested that the EU's executive body would propose appropriate legal measures after summer.

Speaking during the presentation of an EU-commissioned expert panel on child safety online, von der Leyen for "age-appropriate restrictions" implemented in a "phased and gradual" manner.