France moves to ban social media for children under 15

France’s National Assembly backed a bill barring children under 15 from social media by 116-23, and President Emmanuel Macron pushed for the measure to be fast-tracked so it could take effect at the start of the next school year in September. The proposal would also ban mobile phones in high schools, forcing platforms to tighten age verification and change account sign-up systems if lawmakers finish the job.

French officials say social platforms can intensify bullying, harassment, sexual exploitation, addictive design, harmful content and relentless comparison culture. Polling cited in the debate showed 73% of the French public backed a ban on social media for children.

France has already moved in this direction before. A 2018 law banned mobile phones, tablets and smartwatches in primary and middle schools for students up to age 15, telling schoolchildren to leave connected devices at home or keep them switched off during school hours. The new proposal goes further by aiming at access itself. It would require age verification for every user in France, not just minors, because platforms would need a reliable way to block under-15s. That would push social media companies into more intrusive onboarding, identity checks and parental-consent systems.

The United States has taken a different route. At least 20 states have enacted laws touching minors’ social media access, addictive feeds or age assurance, but litigation has split the landscape between rules that are enforceable, blocked by courts or still awaiting implementation. Federal efforts have run into similar friction: the Kids Online Safety Act and related proposals could threaten user privacy and chill online speech, while enforcement remains difficult when teenagers can evade weak checks.

The European Commission has been working on a common approach to age verification technologies, and France could become the second country after Australia to impose a social media ban for children under 15 if the bill clears the remaining legislative steps.