France bans social media for children under 15

The French National Assembly voted in favor of the law with 279 votes in favor and 81 against. Earlier, the Senate had approved the bill with 243 votes in favor and only 2 against.

At the request of President Emmanuel Macron, the new rules are expected to come into force immediately after the summer holidays. Following the Parliament’s decision, Macron stated: “I had been working on this initiative and now it is settled: from the start of the new school year, social media will be banned for children under 15.”

Platform operators will be required to implement effective mechanisms for verifying users’ ages. According to Macron, France is paving the way for a possible regulation across Europe.

For new social media accounts, the law will apply from September 1. For existing accounts, there will be a transitional period of four months, until January 1, 2027. During this time, according to Macron, existing accounts of users under 15 will be closed.

Exceptions for educational content

The ban will affect all social platforms, but there will be exceptions for “online encyclopedias” and “digital projects with educational purposes.”

Well-known platforms like YouTube and WhatsApp can still be used for watching videos or for private communication through messages.

However, they will also have to implement age verification for functions considered part of a social network, such as content sharing or comments.

Extension of the phone ban in schools

The law also provides for the extension of the ban on mobile phones in schools. While previously the ban applied to primary and lower secondary education, it will now be extended to upper secondary schools as well. However, certain exceptions will remain possible.

The aim of the law is to protect young people from the harmful effects that social media can have on their health. According to a report by the French national health authority, social media use has a significant negative impact on the mental health of teenagers.

Criticism of the law

The debate over this law and its implementation has gone on for a long time in the French parliament. Critics argue that the law is difficult to enforce and therefore constitutes more of a symbolic measure than a real solution.

One of the main problems is how the age of young people will be verified. The Socialist Party and the left-wing French party LFI have already announced that they will turn to the Constitutional Council to request a review of the law.

Concerns of the European Union

The European Commission has also expressed reservations about the French plans. According to a Commission spokesperson, there is a risk that member states will create different national systems, leading to legal uncertainty and making it more difficult to enforce the rules.

However, several other EU member states, such as Spain, Greece, and Austria, are also considering adopting a ban on social media for minors up to a certain age. German Family Minister Karin Prien (CDU) has also stated that she wants to impose a similar ban in Germany.

For many EU countries, the technical implementation of age limits is not possible without the cooperation of the major online platforms. However, only the European Commission has the authority to impose and enforce binding rules for these platforms./DW