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Lawmakers in France’s Senate have approved a plan to restrict social media for children under the age of 15, as countries across Europe consider national social media bans for minors.
The reform voted on Tuesday is key to a pledge by French President Emmanuel Macron. It follows a January proposal in the National Assembly.
But both houses of the French parliament have different versions of the law.
The Assemblée Nationale (National Assembly), the lower house that passed legislation in January, asks that all social media platforms delete all accounts belonging to children under 15 and refuse new users under that age. It also asks for mobile phones to be banned in high school.
But the Senate, which adopted a different version of the bill on Tuesday, suggests a two-tier system that separates platforms into different categories.
The first would be those flagged as causing “physical, mental or moral development” to a child, and the other would be those that could be accessed with parental consent. The new version of the bill also excludes educational platforms and online encyclopedias.
The different versions of the ban mean that they will likely have to find a compromise, which could delay the legislation being applied.
The exact age verification method that will be used is also up for debate, as age verification systems are currently being discussed at a European Union level. It is not due to be introduced until early 2027.
France’s attitude to social media
France has long pushed for stricter rules regarding children’s access to screens and social media.
President Macron said in January that the emotions of children and teenagers should not be “for sale or manipulated by American platforms and Chinese algorithms”.
In 2023, lawmakers passed legislation restricting social media access for minors under 15, and also required parental consent before they could open an account. However, the law never entered into force as it clashed with the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA).
After the EU revised its guidelines last year, member states gained more flexibility to decide on their own age limits for social media – whether that means banning access outright for children under a certain age, or requiring parental consent before they can open an account.
Australia became the first country in the world to ban children under 16 from social media in December, with the intention of protecting them from harmful content and excessive screen time.
EU’s answer to social media bans
The European Union is also urging stronger action across the bloc.
In November, the European Parliament proposed a non-binding resolution setting a Europe-wide minimum age of 16 in order to access social media, video-sharing platforms and AI companions.
MEPs suggested children aged 13 to 16 could access social platforms with parental consent.
Parliament proposes a harmonised EU digital minimum age of 16 for access to social media, video-sharing platforms and AI companions, while allowing 13- to 16-year-olds access with parental consent.