France Passes Bill to Ban Social Media for Children Under 15

January 27, 2026 | 02:39 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Members of the French parliament have passed a bill to ban the use of social media by children under the age of 15. As reported by CNA, the measure is championed by President Emmanuel Macron as a vital step toward protecting children from the risks of excessive screen time.

The National Assembly adopted the text with a vote of 130 to 21 during a marathon session spanning Monday to Tuesday, January 27, 2026.

The bill will now proceed to the Senate, France's Upper House, for further deliberation before it can be signed into law.

Macron praised the legislative victory as a "major step" toward safeguarding French children and teenagers in a post on X.

The law, which also incorporates a ban on mobile phone use in high schools, positions France as the second nation to adopt such a strict measure, following Australia's ban for children under 16 in December.

As social media usage grows, concerns regarding how excessive screen time impacts child development and fuels mental health crises have intensified.

"The emotions of our children and teenagers are not for sale or to be manipulated, either by American platforms or Chinese algorithms," Macron declared in a video statement on Saturday.

Authorities intend to implement these measures for all new accounts starting from the beginning of the 2026 academic year.

Former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, who leads Macron’s Renaissance party in the lower house, expressed hope that the Senate will approve the bill by mid-February to ensure enforcement by September 1, 2026.

He added that "social media platforms will then have until December 31 to deactivate existing accounts" that fail to comply with the new age restrictions.

Negative Impact

Beyond addressing the effects of screens and social media on adolescent mental health, Attal emphasized that the move will counter "a number of powers that, through social media platforms, want to colonise minds."

"France can be a pioneer in Europe in a month: we can change the lives of our young people and our families, and perhaps also change the destiny of our country in terms of independence," he remarked.

The French public health watchdog, ANSES, noted this month that platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram exert negative effects on teenagers, particularly girls, though they are not the sole factor in declining mental health.

The identified risks include cyberbullying and involuntary exposure to violent content.

The bill explicitly stipulates that "access to an online social networking service provided by an online platform is prohibited for minors under the age of 15."

However, the bill provides exemptions for online encyclopedias and specialized educational platforms.

For the ban to become effective, a robust age verification system must be established, with development currently underway at the European level.

On Monday, nine child protection associations urged lawmakers to "hold platforms accountable" instead of simply banning children from digital spaces.

Macron remains a steadfast supporter of banning mobile phone use for students throughout high school.

In 2018, France had already prohibited children from using mobile phones in middle schools, which serve students aged 11 to 15.

Former Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne expressed her own reservations about the latest expansion on Monday.

"It's more complicated than that. We first need to make sure that the ban is properly enforced in middle schools," she told France 2 television.

Read: Lecturer Warns Much Health Information on Social Media Is Inaccurate

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