France Moves to Ban Social Media for Children Under 15

France has taken a significant step toward restricting children's access to social media after a joint parliamentary committee reached agreement on a draft bill that would ban the use of social media platforms by children under the age of 15.

French President Emmanuel Macron aims to have the legislation in force before the start of the new academic year in September. The proposal follows Australia's landmark decision in December last year to become the world's first country to prohibit children under 16 from holding accounts on platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube. France is now moving in a similar direction with its own stricter regulatory framework.

President Macron has consistently advocated for stronger protections for minors on social media across the European Union (EU) and other international forums. More recently, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also voiced support for tighter restrictions on children's use of social media across the EU's 27 member states.

The harmonised draft bill approved by the parliamentary committee is scheduled to be debated and voted on in the French National Assembly on Tuesday before proceeding to the Senate for final consideration.

If enacted, France's Minister for Digital Affairs will be responsible for compiling a list of social media platforms prohibited for users under the age of 15. The legislation would also require social media companies to implement robust age-verification systems, subject to approval by France's national data protection and privacy regulator.

In addition to restricting access to social media, the proposed legislation also seeks to introduce a complete ban on smartphone use in French secondary schools, further strengthening the country's efforts to reduce excessive digital exposure among young people.

//DBTech/BMT/OR//