French lawmakers advance bill to ban social media for under-15s

French lawmakers reached a compromise Monday on a bill that would bar children under 15 from social media accounts. The measure is expected to pass Tuesday and take effect in stages starting September. The upper and lower houses agreed on the final text after earlier disagreement over enforcement methods.

The bill requires platforms to refuse new accounts for under-15s and to suspend existing accounts belonging to children in that age group.

The first stage begins September 1, when platforms must block new accounts for children under 15. Existing accounts will be suspended from January 2027, according to the agreed text. A separate provision requires a mobile phone ban in secondary schools by the start of the coming school year.

The EU has discussed similar limits.

Last week, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said children should have phased and gradual access to social media. France would become the first European country to set a digital age limit under the new law. Enforcement will require age-verification tools chosen by each platform. Options include an age-verification app unveiled by the European Commission in April.

““Tomorrow, France will become the first country in Europe to introduce a digital age limit to better protect our children online.”

Lawmakers agreed regulation is needed after repeated warnings about social media effects on adolescents. France's public health watchdog stated last year that platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram were detrimental to adolescents, particularly girls.

The bill includes exceptions for online encyclopedias and educational platforms. France would join more than 20 countries that have taken steps to regulate children's social media access. Australia became the first country to require major platforms to remove accounts held by under-16s or face fines, a rule adopted in December last year.