The French Senate has approved a proposal to limit social media access for children under 15, as concerns grow over online harms.
Lawmakers in France voted in favour of measures aimed at strengthening protections for minors, including requiring parental consent before younger teenagers can create accounts on major platforms. The move reflects mounting political pressure to address issues such as cyberbullying, exposure to harmful content and excessive screen time.
The proposed legislation would place new obligations on social media companies to verify users’ ages more effectively and ensure that safeguards are in place for underage users. Platforms that fail to comply could face penalties, although the precise enforcement mechanisms are still under discussion.
Supporters of the plan argue that current systems do not adequately protect children and that stronger regulation is needed to keep pace with the rapid growth of digital platforms. They point to rising evidence linking heavy social media use with mental health challenges among young people.
Critics, however, have raised concerns about privacy and the practical challenges of enforcing age verification without collecting sensitive personal data. Some also question whether restrictions alone will be effective without broader efforts to educate families and young users about online risks.
The move follows Australia, whose world-first ban for under-16s on platforms including Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube came into force in December.
President Emmanuel Macron wants the law in place in time for the start of the next academic year, in September.
The proposal forms part of a wider European debate on regulating Big Tech and protecting minors online. Similar discussions are taking place across the region and in the U.S., where policymakers are also exploring stricter rules for digital platforms.
Last week a jury in Los Angeles found Meta and Alphabet's Google negligent for designing social media platforms that are harmful to young people and found them liable for damages in a case that could serve as a bellwether for others.
"The idea is to be able to require platforms to implement age verification that is reliable, robust, and protective of personal data," said French lawmaker Laure Miller, who drafted the bill.
"It's clear that young people have access to smartphones at increasingly younger ages," she said. "This has a significant impact on their development, both personally and cognitively," she added.
Legislation was already adopted in the lower house of parliament as a blanket ban, but senators amended the text at committee level, saying they want to block access only for platforms that are considered harmful for children. Others could be accessed with parental approval. The list of harmful social media would be defined later by decree.
The measure must still progress through further legislative stages before it can become law, but it signals a clear intent by French authorities to take a more assertive approach to child safety in the digital space.
French school pupil Louis Szponik, 15, disagrees with a social media ban. He admits apps like TikTok can lead to procrastination but feels that social media can also cultivate cohesion and expression.
"It's true that our generation is often caricatured like that, as the younger generation, always on our phones," he said. But social media can "have a positive side, which is being able to communicate with friends."
Foreign ministers meeting in Istanbul on Friday warned that renewed military strikes on Iran could deepen the regional conflict, urging diplomatic ...
Georgia’s Constitutional Court has extended hearings in a case seeking to ban five opposition parties, with proceedings now set to continue u...
Pakistan and the European Union have agreed to step up counterterrorism cooperation as security concerns over Afghanistan grow and tensions between...
Saudi Aramco has ordered staff to evacuate its headquarters amid escalating Houthi attacks on the kingdom. Two people were killed in an attack on Dammam airport, while Iran's IRGC Navy claimed strikes on seven vessels and warned the U.S. of a wider response.
Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight killed at least two people and injured 15 others, including two children, Ukrainian authorities said. Meanwhile, Russia said it had intercepted the vast majority of 630 Ukrainian drones launched towards Moscow.
Russia is willing in principle to resume peace talks with Ukraine and the United States in November, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said after President Vladimir Putin met U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg.
Super typhoon Champi is set to batter Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture from Friday (23 October), bringing violent winds, torrential rain and waves up to 11 metres high, as airlines cancel flights and organisers scrap a major festival.
Israeli military bulldozers have begun demolishing buildings in the West Bank city of Hebron on Friday, 23 October, following armed clashes with Palestinians that left two Israeli soldiers dead, according to the Israeli military.
Armenian authorities have detained 10 more people in a vote-buying investigation involving the opposition Strong Armenia party, just two days before local elections in the northern town of Stepanavan.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met India’s Minister of External Affairs in Baku for talks on strengthening bilateral relations, with a focus on trade, investment, energy and technology.
Israeli military bulldozers have begun demolishing buildings in the West Bank city of Hebron on Friday, 23 October, following armed clashes with Palestinians that left two Israeli soldiers dead, according to the Israeli military.
Greece’s parliament has passed a bill banning under-15s from using social media from 1 January 2027, as the country steps up efforts to protect children online. The new law will require platforms to enforce age restrictions.
France's Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Friday that 70,000 security forces would be mobilised throughout the country to keep order on Saturday, adding there have been calls for looting and violence from the ultra-left.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment