France’s National Assembly approves bill banning social media for children under 15

The bill was adopted by 130 votes to 21. The text will now be sent to the Senate, where Digital Affairs Minister Anne Le Hénanff said it would be examined in the coming weeks. If definitively adopted, France would become the first European country to set such a strict age limit for access to social media.

The proposal, put forward by presidential majority lawmaker Laure Miller, aims to bar minors under 15 from using social media platforms and to extend the ban on mobile phone use to high schools. Speaking in Parliament, Miller said the goal is to protect young people’s mental health, warning that social networks are increasingly shaping how children think and behave.

The vote follows a clear push from President Emmanuel Macron, who had earlier asked the government to fast track the bill so it could take effect as early as the next school year.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported on similar decisions by other countries to restrict or ban social media access.

Australia became the first country in the world to ban social media access for users under 16. Major platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X, Snapchat, YouTube and Reddit must block those accounts or face large fines.