French lawmakers to vote on social media ban for children

French lawmakers on Monday (Jan 26) were set to vote on draft legislation to ban social media for under-15s, an effort championed by President Emmanuel Macron as a way to protect children from excessive screen time.

The legislation, which also provides for a ban on mobile phones in high schools, follows Australia banning social media for under-16s in December, a world first.

As social media has grown around the world, so has concern that too much screen time is arresting child development and contributing to declining mental health in minors.

“The emotions of our children and teenagers are not for sale or to be manipulated, either by American platforms or Chinese algorithms,” Macron said in a video broadcast on Saturday.

The French bill proposed by centrist lawmakers will be examined from 4pm (11pm, Singapore time) and, barring any surprises, is expected to be given the green light by the lower house, the National Assembly. The legislation would then go to the Senate upper house.

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

Former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, who leads lawmakers from Macron’s Renaissance party in the lower house, said on Monday he hoped the bill would be passed by the Senate in mid-February.

“This means that in a month’s time, it could be adopted and that on Sep 1, the ban will come into force for new accounts,” he added.

He added that “social media platforms will then have until Dec 31 to deactivate existing accounts” that do not comply with the age limit.

“DESTINY OF OUR COUNTRY”

In addition to combating the impact of screens and social media on the mental health of young adolescents, Attal stressed that the measure would help oppose “a number of powers that, through social media platforms, want to colonise minds”.

“France can be a pioneer in Europe in a month: we can change the lives of our young people and our families, and perhaps also change the destiny of our country in terms of independence,” he said.

France’s public health watchdog ANSES said this month that social media such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram had numerous detrimental effects on adolescents - particularly girls - while not being the sole reason for their declining mental health.

The risks listed are numerous, including cyberbullying and exposure to violent content.

The legislation stipulates that “access to an online social networking service provided by an online platform is prohibited for minors under the age of 15”.

The draft bill excludes online encyclopaedias and educational directories from the ban.

For the ban to become a reality, an effective age verification system will have to be put in place. Work on such a system is currently underway at the European level.

Macron has also backed a ban on pupils having mobile phones in high schools.

In 2018, France already banned children from using mobile phones in “colleges”, the middle schools children attend between the ages of 11 and 15.

But former prime minister Elisabeth Borne expressed reservations about the measure on Monday.

“It’s more complicated than that,” she told broadcaster France 2.

“We first need to make sure that the ban is properly enforced in middle schools.”

Source: AFP

- Agencies