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7h ago

French Assembly Backs Under-15 Social Media Ban, Fast-Track Sought for September Rollout

The bill now moves to the Senate as the government presses for EU‑compliant age checks and a schedule that would block new under‑15 accounts by the 2026 school year and require platforms to deactivate existing ones by year’s end.

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BATH, UNITED KINGDOM - DECEMBER 19: A 12-year-old boy looks at an iPhone screen showing various social media apps including TikTok, Facebook and X, on December 19, 2023 in Bath, England. The amount of time children spend on screens each day rocketed during the Covid pandemic by more than 50 per cent, the equivalent of an extra hour and twenty minutes. Researchers say that unmoderated screen time can have long-lasting effects on a child's mental and physical health. Recently TikTok announced that every account belonging to a user below age 18 have a 60-minute daily screen time limit automatically set. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
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Overview

  • Lawmakers in the National Assembly approved legislation to bar children under 15 from social networks and social networking features embedded in other apps, with a final text still pending Senate review.
  • If enacted, France would be the first country in Europe with such a prohibition, following Australia’s under‑16 nationwide ban introduced in December.
  • The draft requires platforms to deploy age‑verification systems that comply with EU law under the Digital Services Act, a key hurdle for enforcement.
  • The package also expands France’s school phone restrictions by extending the ban to high schools, while exempting online encyclopedias and educational platforms from the social media prohibition.
  • Supporters cite ANSES findings about harms to adolescents and polling showing broad backing, though Australia’s rollout—marked by millions of deactivations and teen workarounds—highlights the practical and legal challenges ahead.