Paris, France. French lawmakers on Tuesday approved a ban on social media access for children under 15, making France the first European country to adopt a digital age limit for social media accounts.
The legislation is intended to take effect from September 1, with platforms given four additional months to close accounts already held by children under 15.
Parliamentary approval
Both the Senate and National Assembly adopted the measure on Tuesday. Anne Le Hénanff, junior minister for AI, said France was the first country in Europe to adopt a digital majority.
President Emmanuel Macron has called for the law to be in place by the start of the next academic year. In April, he urged young people to spend less time on their phones and read more.
Platform requirements
Under the legislation, children younger than 15 would not be allowed to open social media accounts. Platforms would be required to use age-verification systems approved by the French privacy regulator.
Social media companies generally oppose blanket bans and say they already have measures to protect younger users, including age restrictions. They have also said they will comply where governments introduce bans.
European context
France follows Australia, where a ban on social media access for users under 16, covering platforms including Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube, came into force in December.
The European Commission is developing regulations aimed at protecting young people online and will assess whether France’s legislation complies with existing European rules.