France passes legislation banning social media for under-15s and mobile phones in schools
The new bill, which also restricts mobile phone use in classrooms and regulates advertising, awaits final approval from the Constitutional Council to become the first such measure in the European Union.
French regulators have passed a bill prohibiting social media access for children under the age of 15 and banning the use of mobile phones in schools. The legislation aims to mitigate negative health impacts associated with social media use among minors, while also introducing new rules regarding how social platforms are advertised. If approved by the Constitutional Council, France would become the first European Union member to implement such a ban, following similar regulatory measures enacted in Australia in 2024.
Implementation of the law relies on age verification systems to confirm user eligibility. ARCOM, France’s digital communications regulator, is tasked with enforcing the ban and will determine the specific technical systems that social media platforms must implement to comply with the new requirements. The Associated Press reports that the scope of the law extends beyond access restrictions to include these advertising provisions.
President Emmanuel Macron has urged for the law to be enforced by the start of the school year in September. In a post on X thanking Parliament for approving the ban, Macron called for the measures to take effect quickly, having previously requested that the parliamentary vote be expedited. The timeline remains contingent on final approval from the Constitutional Council.
The legislative move occurs amidst broader debates on child protection and anti-violence in schools within France. Lawmakers are currently considering new child protection legislation following the Bétharram abuse scandal, which revealed decades of mistreatment at a Catholic-run school in southwestern France. Additionally, Paris authorities are conducting ongoing investigations into allegations of abuse by non-teaching staff at city-recruited positions in dozens of schools.
Internationally, other jurisdictions are pursuing similar regulatory frameworks. The United Kingdom is partially enforcing age-gating requirements through its Online Safety Act, while Denmark is close to introducing its own ban. Canadian regulators introduced a bill in June to ban social media for children aged 16 and younger. However, enforcement challenges remain evident; studies published in April and June indicated that a significant number of Australian children continued to use social media after the ban’s introduction, potentially due to lax age verification approaches by platforms.
