France’s National Assembly has approved a bill banning access to social media for children under 15, a move backed by President Emmanuel Macron and the government as part of efforts to protect teenagers’ mental and physical health.

The European Union says the country has the right to impose the ban and that the bloc will enforce it, if it complies with EU law.

"The French authorities have the right to establish a digital age for their citizens," Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said. If the bill is in line with EU legislation, "the Commission will enforce it towards the Very Large Online Platforms."

Lawmakers also narrowly adopted an amendment requiring social media platforms to ensure minors are not exposed to excessive commercial pressure and banning the promotion of products or services deemed harmful to minors’ physical or mental health.

Laure Miller, the Renaissance Party politician who presented the bill, expressed concern over the amendment, warning it may not comply with European Union law and could lead to the bill being rejected by the European Commission.

Ensuring compatibility with the EU’s Digital Services Act remains a key challenge, as the government seeks to avoid a repeat of the 2023 Marcangeli law, which established a digital age of majority of 15 but was never implemented due to EU legal concerns.

"A major step"

The bill was adopted in a first reading overnight from Monday to Tuesday (26-27 January) by 116 votes to 23. Macron hailed the vote as “a major step.” in a post on X.

Under the revised Article 1 of the bill, “access to an online social networking service provided by an online platform is prohibited for minors under fifteen years of age.”

Certain educational platforms and private interpersonal messaging services, such as WhatsApp, are excluded from the ban, Laure Miller said.

The measure received support from the government, the RN-UDR alliance, Communists, Liot independents and most Greens, while lawmakers from La France Insoumise voted against it and Socialists largely abstained.

The bill’s second article, which initially proposed banning mobile phones in high schools from 1 September, 2026, was rewritten during the parliamentary debate.

Instead of a blanket ban, high school internal regulations will now be required to specify where and under what conditions mobile phones may be used.

Failing such rules, phone use would be prohibited during class time and in hallways, but allowed in designated areas of school courtyards.

Senate debate expected within weeks

The government has decided to fast-track the legislation, allowing it to move more quickly in the event of disagreements between parliament’s two chambers.

Digital Affairs Minister Anne Le Hénanff said the bill would be scheduled for debate in the Senate “in the coming weeks,” while former prime minister Gabriel Attal said he expects it to be adopted by mid-February.

If definitively passed, France would become the second country after Australia to introduce such restrictive social media rules for minors.

The government aims to implement the ban for new accounts at the start of the 2026 school year in September, with age-verification requirements extended to all users, including existing accounts, by January 1, 2027, Le Hénanff said.

"With this law, we are setting a clear boundary in society and saying social media is not harmless," centrist lawmaker Laure Miller told the chamber as she presented the bill.

"Our children are reading less, sleeping less, and comparing themselves to one another more," she continued. "This is a battle for free minds."

Australia’s ban on social media for under-16s is being closely studied by several European countries. The European Parliament has also urged the EU to consider setting minimum ages for access, though enforcement remains a national decision.

• Australia's world-first social media ban for under-16s
• EU and UK consider stricter social media rules for teens following Australia’s example

There is broad political and public backing in France for limiting minors’ access to social media. A Harris Interactive survey in 2024 found that 73% of respondents supported a ban for under-15s.

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