President Emmanuel Macron supports this measure, having stated earlier this month that he expects Parliament to begin debating the proposal in January.
In a renewed effort to safeguard minors from excessive screen exposure, France plans to outlaw social media access for children under 15 by next September, according to a draft bill reviewed by AFP. This follows a recent move by Australia, which became the first country to enact a ban on social media for anyone under the age of 16.
The legislative text cites numerous studies confirming the dangers adolescents face due to heavy reliance on digital screens. The government argues that children with unrestricted internet access are vulnerable to unsuitable material, cyberbullying, and significant disruptions to their sleep cycles.
The proposed bill contains two primary clauses. The first would make it illegal for online platforms to provide social media services to minors under 15, while the second mandates a prohibition on mobile phone usage within secondary schools.
Although Macron has declared digital safety for minors a top government priority, actual implementation and alignment with international regulations have proven difficult. A previous ban on mobile phones in preschools and middle schools, introduced in 2018, is rarely enforced in practice.
Furthermore, France has previously clashed with European Union regulations regarding a 2023 law that attempted to set a “digital age of consent” at 15; that legislation has since been blocked.
Earlier this month, the French Senate endorsed a separate initiative aiming to shield teenagers from screen addiction, which included a provision requiring parental consent for children aged 13 to 16 to register on social platforms.
This proposal from the Senate has been forwarded to the National Assembly, which must approve the text before it can be signed into law.