France's lawmakers vote to ban social media for under-15s

As social media usage has grown, it has heightened concerns about excessive screen time and its negative impact on child development and mental health.

Lawmakers in France's National Assembly on Monday passed a bill that would ban children under 15 years old from using social media.

They voted 116 to ⁠23 in favor the bill.

The legislation will now go to the Senate, the upper house of parliament.

President Emmanuel Macron has championed the ban saying it's necessary to protect French children and teenagers from excessive screen time.

He hailed Monday's vote as a "major step" and stressed in a post on X that "our children's brains are not for sale. Not to American platforms, nor to Chinese networks."

What to know about the bill?

The draft bill proposes banning under-15s from social networks and "social networking functionalities" embedded within broader platforms.

It, however, excludes online encyclopedias and educational platforms.

Platforms would be required to put in place effective age-verification mechanisms to block access to young teenagers.

The legislation also extends an existing ban on smartphones in junior schools to also cover high schools.

Authorities want the measures to be enforced from the start of the 2026 school year for new accounts.

Why does France want to impose such a ban?

France would be the second country to impose such a ban after Australia recently barred social media for children under 16 years old.

As social media usage has grown, it has heightened concerns about excessive screen time.

And fears abound about its negative impact on child development and mental health.

France's public health watchdog ANSES said this month that platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram had several detrimental effects on adolescents, particularly girls.

The risks listed include cyberbullying and exposure to violent content.

Broad support for the ban

There appears to be broad support in the country for curbing minors' access to social media.

A Harris Interactive survey in 2024 showed 73% of the public supported a ban on social media access for under-15s.

"With this law, we are setting a clear boundary in society and saying social media is not harmless," centrist lawmaker Laure 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."

Far-right lawmaker Thierry Perez the bill responded to a "health emergency."

"Social media has allowed everyone to express themselves, but at what cost to our children?" Perez said.