Both chambers of the French Parliament have voted in favour of a landmark law banning social media use for children under the age of 15, alongside a complete prohibition on mobile phones in the country’s high schools. The legislation, a flagship initiative of President Emmanuel Macron’s second term, marks one of the most significant government interventions yet in the ongoing global debate over children’s online safety.
What the Law Covers
Under the newly approved legislation, children under 15 will be barred from using social media platforms altogether, extending France’s existing efforts to restrict minors’ access to potentially harmful online content. The law will also prohibit the use of mobile phones within high schools nationwide, building on an existing ban already in place across French primary and middle schools since 2018. In the French education system, middle schools cater to pupils aged 11 to 15, meaning the new measure specifically extends restrictions into the high school years that had previously remained uncovered.
Notably, the legislation carves out specific exemptions for online encyclopedias and educational or scientific directories, ensuring that the ban targets social media platforms specifically rather than the broader universe of online informational resources students might need for schoolwork.
Macron’s Push to Fast-Track Implementation
President Macron has been personally vocal in pushing for swift implementation of the measure, releasing a video statement in which he described the initiative in unusually forceful terms. He said the brains and emotions of France’s children and adolescents were not commodities to be sold or manipulated, whether by American technology platforms or Chinese algorithms, and stressed that the new rules were intended to establish a clear, unambiguous standard for teenagers, families, and teachers alike.
Macron had specifically asked his government to pursue an accelerated legislative procedure to ensure the ban could take effect before the beginning of the next school year in September, underscoring the urgency with which his administration has approached the issue.
What Prompted the Legislation
The push for the law has been driven by mounting public concern in France over the psychological and social effects of excessive social media and screen exposure among young people. Several French families have filed lawsuits against TikTok, alleging links between the platform’s content and teen suicides, cases that have amplified public pressure for stronger regulatory action.
Macron has also repeatedly pointed to social media as a contributing factor behind rising incidents of violence among young people, a concern that intensified further following a fatal stabbing at a school in eastern France that shocked the nation. In the aftermath of that incident, Macron indicated he wanted to push for similar regulatory action at the European Union level, extending beyond France’s own borders.
Building on Earlier, Less Effective Measures
This is not France’s first attempt at regulating minors’ access to social media. The country had previously passed a law in 2023 requiring social media platforms to obtain parental consent before allowing under-15s to create accounts. However, that earlier measure faced significant technical challenges in its enforcement, with platforms struggling to reliably verify user ages, limiting its practical effectiveness in preventing underage access.
The newly passed law represents a considerably more sweeping approach, moving beyond a parental consent requirement toward an outright prohibition on social media access for the affected age group, reflecting a recognition that softer regulatory measures had not achieved their intended protective effect.
Following Australia’s Lead
France’s move closely mirrors a similar, world-first initiative introduced in Australia, which implemented a ban on social media access for children under 16 in December, restricting platforms including Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube. According to Australian officials, social media companies have since revoked access to approximately 4.7 million accounts identified as belonging to children as a result of that country’s ban.
Australia’s law has prompted considerable debate domestically regarding its implications for technology use, privacy, child safety, and mental health, and has since encouraged a number of other countries, France among them, to seriously consider similar regulatory measures of their own.
Reaction From Parents and Advocacy Groups
The legislation has drawn strong support from children’s advocates and parent groups in France. Gaëlle Berbonde, a parent from the Paris region who has campaigned for the bill, said families had been left with essentially no alternative but to pursue legislative action, given the difficulty of countering the influence of major technology companies through individual parental efforts alone. She compared the need for such protective measures to existing societal norms around shielding children from alcohol, arguing that comparable protections were needed in the digital realm.
Berbonde specifically recounted her own experience of her daughter receiving her first smartphone in seventh grade, noting that despite using a parental control application to monitor online activity, she had little real understanding of platforms like TikTok or the nature of content her daughter might encounter through them, a gap in parental awareness the new law is intended to help address at a structural level.
Possible Delays Ahead
While the legislation has now cleared both chambers of Parliament, its implementation is not entirely guaranteed to proceed on Macron’s preferred September timeline. A constitutional review is likely to take place to determine whether the law complies with the French Constitution, a process that could potentially delay the ban’s entry into force even after parliamentary approval has been secured.
A Defining Legacy Measure
The social media ban stands as one of the final major legislative measures adopted under Macron’s presidency before he is set to leave office next year, positioning it as a significant part of his broader policy legacy. Speaking following the vote, Macron characterised the measure as placing France at the forefront of child and adolescent protection efforts within Europe, and indicated his intention to continue pushing for further protective measures in this space.
What Happens Next
With parliamentary approval now secured, attention turns to the pending constitutional review process and whether the law can indeed take effect as planned at the start of the September school year. Given the technical enforcement challenges that hampered France’s earlier 2023 parental consent law, questions are also likely to persist regarding how effectively social media platforms will be able to verify user ages and enforce compliance once the outright ban takes effect. As France moves forward with implementation, its experience is likely to be closely watched by other European Union member states and governments worldwide considering similar regulatory approaches to protecting minors online.
