French legislators have approved a new bill aimed at prohibiting social media use for individuals under the age of 15. This initiative, strongly supported by President Emmanuel Macron, seeks to shield young people from the adverse effects of excessive screen exposure.

The National Assembly, France’s lower chamber, endorsed the proposal with a 130 to 21 vote after an extended overnight debate spanning from Monday to Tuesday.

The bill is now set to advance to the Senate, the upper chamber in France. If approved, it will be enacted into law.

President Macron expressed his approval on X, describing the decision as a “significant step” towards safeguarding the country’s youth.

This legislation not only targets social media restrictions but also includes a provision to ban mobile phones in high schools. Should it pass, France will join Australia, which implemented a similar ban for those under 16 in December, in this protective measure.

Children’s emotions ‘not for sale’

As social media has grown, so has concern that too much screen time and addictive algorithms are 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, in September, for new accounts.

Enforcement to lie with the EU

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 1 September.

He added that “social media platforms will then have until 31 December to deactivate existing accounts” that do not comply with the age limit.

While backing France’s right to impose such a ban, the European Commission on Tuesday said that any enforcement would lie with the EU, provided the bill conforms to the bloc’s laws.

Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier told reporters it would ultimately be up to the EU to ensure that platforms implement adequate age-verification tools to help any ban become a reality.

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