France plans social media ban for children under 15

Summary

• France plans to ban social media for under-15s by September 2026, following concerns about violence and mental health issues linked to excessive screen time.
• The draft law includes banning social media and mobile phones in secondary schools, and aims to address cyber-harassment and inappropriate content.
• Macron supports EU-level regulation on social media access for minors, despite past enforcement challenges and EU law conflicts regarding age verification.

PARIS – France will make a fresh attempt to protect children from excessive screen time, by proposing a ban on social media access for children under 15 by September, according to a draft law seen by AFP.

The initiative is backed by President Emmanuel Macron, who said in December that Parliament should start debating such a proposal in January.

Australia imposed a social media ban
on under 16s in December, in a world first.

“Many studies and reports now confirm the various risks caused by excessive use of digital screens by adolescents,” the French draft says.

Children with unfettered online access were exposed to “inappropriate content” and could suffer from cyberharassment or experience changes to their sleep patterns, the government said.

The draft law has two articles. One would make illegal “the provision by an online platform of an online social media service to a minor under 15”.

The second calls for a ban on mobile phone use in secondary schools.

Mr Macron has said that the digital protection of minors is a priority for his government, but enforcement and compliance with international law have been challenging.

A ban on mobile phone use in pre-schools and middle-schools came into force in 2018, but is rarely enforced.

France, meanwhile, ran foul of European Union rules with a law calling for a “digital legal age” of 15, passed in 2023, that has since been blocked.

The French Upper House, the Senate, in December backed an initiative for the protection of teenagers from excessive screen time and social media access, which includes a requirement for parental authorisation for children between 13 and 16 to register with social media sites.

The Senate’s proposal has been submitted to the National Assembly, which would need to approve the text before it can become law. AFP