France Lawmakers Pass Bill To Ban Social Media For Children Under 15, Macron Hails 'Major Step'

(MENAFN- Live Mint) France has moved closer to becoming the second country in the world to bar children under 15 from social media, after lawmakers in the National Assembly approved landmark legislation aimed at curbing excessive screen time and protecting young people's mental health.

Australia became the first country to introduce a nationwide ban on social media for minors, prohibiting children under 16 from accessing major platforms in an effort to curb online harms and protect adolescent mental health.

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The bill, adopted following a lengthy overnight debate in French National Assembly, marks a significant escalation in the government's campaign to regulate children's digital lives and has been strongly endorsed by President Emmanuel Macron, who has framed the issue as one of national wellbeing and sovereignty.

French National Assembly backs sweeping restrictions

The lower house of parliament voted by a clear margin to approve the legislation, which would prohibit under-15s from accessing social media platforms and restrict“social networking functionalities” embedded within wider digital services. The text now moves to the Senate, France's upper chamber, before returning to the National Assembly for a final vote.

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If enacted, the law would make France the second country after Australia to impose a nationwide ban on social media for minors, following Canberra's decision in December to bar under-16s from such platforms.

Macron hails 'major step' to protect children

President Macron welcomed the parliamentary vote, describing it as a decisive intervention to shield young people from the risks associated with prolonged online exposure.

In a post on X, he hailed the move as a“major step” to safeguard children and teenagers. In a video broadcast earlier, Macron said:“The emotions of our children and teenagers are not for sale or to be manipulated, either by American platforms or Chinese algorithms.”

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The legislation also provides for a ban on mobile phones in high schools, expanding France's existing restrictions on device use in educational settings.

Enforcement planned from 2026 school year

French authorities intend for the measures to take effect from the start of the 2026 school year for new accounts. Existing accounts held by under-15s would be phased out over several months.

Former prime minister Gabriel Attal, who now leads Macron's Renaissance party in the National Assembly, said he hoped the Senate would approve the bill by mid-February.

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He added that“social media platforms will then have until December 31 to deactivate existing accounts” that fail to comply with the new age threshold, allowing the ban to come fully into force by September 1.

Mental health and digital sovereignty concerns

Supporters of the bill argue that the rapid expansion of social media has coincided with worsening mental health outcomes among adolescents. France's public health watchdog, ANSES, said this month that platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram can have several detrimental effects on young users, particularly girls.

The risks identified include cyberbullying, exposure to violent content and pressures linked to body image and online validation, although ANSES noted that social media is not the sole cause of declining adolescent mental health.

Political debate and criticism in France

While the government has framed the ban as a necessary public health intervention, critics have warned against what they see as an overly simplistic approach. Lawmakers from the hard-left France Unbowed party criticised the proposal as“a form of digital paternalism” that fails to address deeper structural problems within the technology sector.

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Nine child protection associations also urged legislators to focus on regulating platforms themselves rather than excluding children altogether.

Former prime minister Elisabeth Borne expressed reservations, telling broadcaster France 2:“It's more complicated than that. We first need to make sure that the ban is properly enforced in middle schools.”

Age verification remains key hurdle

For the ban to be effective, France will need a robust age-verification system capable of preventing under-15s from creating accounts. Work on such mechanisms is currently underway at the European level, reflecting broader EU efforts to regulate digital platforms.

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