"French lawmakers have passed a bill that would ban social media use by under-15s, a move championed by President Emmanuel Macron as a way to protect children from excessive screen time. The lower National Assembly adopted the text by a vote of 130 to 21 in a lengthy overnight session from Monday to Tuesday. It will now go to the Senate, France's upper house, ahead of becoming law."
"Macron hailed the vote as a "major step" to protect French children and teenagers in a post on X. The legislation, which also provides for a ban on mobile phones in high schools, would make France the second country to take such a step following Australia's ban for under-16s in December. As social media has grown, so has concern that too much screen time is harming child development and contributing to mental health problems."
""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 broadcast on Saturday. Authorities want the measures to be enforced from the start of the 2026 school year for new accounts. Former prime minister Gabriel Attal, who leads Macron's Renaissance party in the lower house, said he hoped the Senate would pass the bill by mid-February so that the ban could come into force on September 1st."
French lawmakers approved a bill to ban social media use by under-15s, passing the lower National Assembly by 130 votes to 21. The measure also provides for a ban on mobile phones in high schools and will proceed to the Senate before becoming law. Enforcement for new accounts is planned from the start of the 2026 school year, with platforms given until year-end to deactivate non-compliant existing accounts. Officials cited concerns about excessive screen time harming child development and mental health, and framed the law as protecting children from manipulation by global platforms and algorithms.
Read at The Local France
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