French lawmakers approve bill banning social media for children under 15
PARIS– French lawmakers have approved a bill banning social media for children under 15, paving the way for the measure to take effect at the start of the school year in September, as the idea of setting a minimum age for using the platforms gains momentum across Europe.
The bill, which also bans the use of cell phones in high schools, was passed Monday evening by 130 votes to 21. French President Emmanuel Macron has called for the bill to be fast-tracked and it will now be discussed in the Senate in the coming weeks.
“Banning social networks for those under 15: that’s what scientists recommend and that’s what the French are massively demanding,” Macron said after the vote. “Because our children’s brains are not for sale, neither to American platforms nor to Chinese networks. Because their dreams should not be dictated by algorithms.”
The issue is one of the few in a divided National Assembly to garner such support, despite criticism from the far left who denounce the bill’s provisions as an attack on civil liberties. Weakened domestically since his decision to dissolve parliament plunged France into a prolonged political crisis, Macron has strongly backed the ban, which could become one of the last major measures adopted under his leadership before he leaves office next year.
The French government had already passed a law banning the use of telephones in all primary and secondary schools.
The Assembly vote came just days after the British government announced it would consider banning young teenagers’ access to social media as part of strengthening laws designed to protect children from harmful content and excessive screen time.
The French bill was designed to comply with the European Union’s Digital Services Act, which imposes a set of strict requirements intended to keep internet users safe online. In November, European lawmakers called for EU-level measures to protect minors online, including setting a union-wide minimum age of 16 and banning the most harmful practices.
According to the National Health Office, one in two adolescents spends between two and five hours a day on their smartphone. In a report released in December, approximately 90% of children aged 12 to 17 use their smartphones daily to access the Internet, and 58% of them use their device for social media.
The report highlights a range of harmful effects arising from the use of social media, including loss of self-esteem and increased exposure to content associated with risky behaviors such as self-harm, drug use and suicide. Several families in France have sued TikTok over teenage suicides that they say are linked to harmful content.
The French ban will not cover online encyclopedias, educational or scientific directories, nor open source software development and sharing platforms.
In Australia, social media companies have revoked access to about 4.7 million accounts identified as belonging to children since the country banned the use of such platforms by those under 16, officials said. The law has sparked heated debates in Australia over technology use, privacy, child safety and mental health and has prompted other countries to consider similar measures.
