PARIS (dpa-AFX) - The French parliament has passed a law banning children under the age of 15 from using social media, making it the first European country to impose such an age limit.
Both Houses of the French parliament - the Senate and the National Assembly - passed the bill banning social media access for children under 15 on Tuesday.
The roll-out begins in two stages: From September 1, under-15s will be blocked from opening new accounts. Social media platforms have until January 1, 2027, to identify and close or restrict existing under-15 accounts.
Social media companies will be required to apply age verification checks to existing accounts by that time.
The legislation also bans targeted advertising and influencer campaigns promoting social media to this age group. A ban on the use of cell phones in high schools will take effect at the beginning of the French school year.
President Emmanuel Macron, who has championed the ban as a key reform of his final term in office, said, 'France is leading the way in Europe when it comes to protecting our children and teenagers.'
In a video posted on X, he added, 'The Constitutional Council must now rule on it, and then it will be time to take action to make this measure a reality and protect our children online.'
Australia, Indonesia, and Brazil have implemented nationwide social media bans for children, with minimum age limits ranging from 15 to 16 years. A growing list of other countries, including the UK, are actively moving to enforce similar legislation or have passed measures set to take effect soon.
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