French lawmakers have approved legislation seeking to prohibit social media access for children under the age of 15, a proposal strongly backed by President Emmanuel Macron as part of efforts to curb excessive screen use among minors.
The bill was passed by the National Assembly following a lengthy overnight debate, with 130 lawmakers voting in favour and 21 against between Monday and Tuesday. It will now be sent to the Senate for consideration before it can become law.
Macron welcomed the vote, calling it a “major step” in safeguarding children and teenagers, in a post on X.
The proposed law also includes a ban on mobile phones in high schools and would make France the second country, after Australia, to impose age-based restrictions on social media use. Australia introduced a similar ban for under-16s in December.
Concerns over the impact of screen time have intensified as social media usage has expanded, with experts warning of potential harm to child development and rising mental health issues.
“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 message broadcast on Saturday.
Authorities aim to implement the new rules for newly created accounts starting with the 2026 school year.
Gabriel Attal, the former prime minister and current leader of Macron’s Renaissance party in the lower house, said he hoped the Senate would approve the bill by mid-February, allowing the ban to take effect on September 1.
Beyond mental health concerns, Attal said the measure would also counter “a number of powers that, through social media platforms, want to colonise minds.”
This month, France’s public health agency ANSES warned that platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram have multiple harmful effects on adolescents particularly girls – although it noted that social media is not the sole factor behind deteriorating mental health. Identified risks include cyberbullying and exposure to violent content.
The legislation specifies that “access to an online social networking service provided by an online platform is prohibited for minors under the age of 15”, while exempting online encyclopedias and educational platforms.
The ban would depend on the introduction of an effective age-verification system, work on which is currently underway at the European level.
Criticism has come from the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party, with lawmaker Arnaud Saint-Martin describing the proposal as “a form of digital paternalism” and an “overly simplistic” response to the challenges posed by technology.
Macron has also expressed support for banning mobile phones in high schools. France previously prohibited mobile phone use in middle schools in 2018 for students aged 11 to 15.