France’s National Assembly (lower house of parliament) has approved a bill banning social media for children under 15. If the bill passes the upper house, it would be the second country after Australia
to introduce such a ban.
On Monday, lawmakers in the French National Assembly approved a bill banning children under 15 from using social media. The bill was passed by 116 votes to 23. The bill will now go to the upper house of parliament, the Senate.
President Emmanuel Macron backed the ban, saying it was necessary to protect children and teenagers from spending too much time in front of screens.
The bill proposes to ban children under 15 from social networks and “social network functions” on major platforms. However, it does not include online encyclopedias and educational platforms. Platforms would be required to implement effective age verification mechanisms to limit access by young people.
The law also extends the ban on smartphones in primary schools to middle schools.
The new rule is expected to come into effect next school year.
Australia recently introduced a similar policy .
Experts are concerned about the negative impact of social media on children’s development and mental health. France’s public health watchdog ANSES recently said that platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram have a number of negative effects on teenagers, especially girls.
