French President Emmanuel Macron has championed the ban as a flagship reform of his final term in office.
France’s parliament has approved the bill banning social media access for children under 15s. Picture: iStock
France’s parliament has approved the bill banning social media access for children under 15, making it the first European country to bar children from apps such as TikTok and other platforms.
French lawmakers on Tuesday approved a bill banning social media access, putting France at the forefront of similar efforts in the European Union.
Social media ban
French President Emmanuel Macron has championed the ban as a flagship reform of his final term in office and pledged to enforce it by September 2026.
“France is leading the way in Europe when it comes to protecting our children and teenagers,” Macron said in a video posted on social media, hailing “a major step forward.”
Macron said the Constitutional Council must now rule on the ban before the law takes effect; enforcing the measure by September would also ensure that one provision of the bill, a ban on smartphones in high schools, takes effect at the beginning of the French school year.
Two stages
The ban was to be rolled out in two stages, with under-15s blocked from creating new accounts from 1 September. The ban would apply to existing accounts from January 2027, according to the legislation.
Digital Minister Anne Le Henanff said ahead of the vote that the timeline was realistic, “because age-verification tools already exist” with others still in the works, and the onus was on the platforms to impose the rule, according to AFP.
“For four months, all of us in France will have to prove our age,” she told journalists. “If someone is under 15, the account will be closed.”
Detrimental
France’s public health watchdog last year said platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram were detrimental to adolescents, particularly girls, though it was not the sole reason for their declining mental health.
The agency said that one in two teenagers spends between two and five hours a day on a smartphone.
Smartphones
In a report published in December, it said that some 90 per cent of children aged between 12 and 17 use smartphones daily to access the internet, with 58 per cent of them using their devices for social networks.
The report highlighted a range of harmful effects stemming from the use of social networks, including reduced self-esteem and increased exposure to content associated with risky behaviours such as self-harm, drug use and suicide.
Several families in France have sued TikTok over teen suicides they say are linked to harmful content.
Last month, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced a social media ban for children under 15 on joining a growing group of countries including Australia, Britain and Canada to take similar measures.
Social media
Children should have “phased and gradual access” to social media, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Monday, as experts recommended that under-13s use online platforms only under supervision.
The European Union has been mulling a social media ban since a push by EU states, including Greece and France, to limit access, with pressure intensifying for a bloc-wide ban like Australia’s.
