Overview
- France’s National Assembly debated a measure to bar under-15s from social networks and social features embedded in other platforms, with a Senate review up next before a final lower-house vote.
- The proposal requires EU‑compliant age‑verification systems and would expand France’s school smartphone ban to cover high schools.
- Under the draft, regulators would define a list of platforms prohibited outright for under‑15s and a second list allowed only with parental permission.
- President Emmanuel Macron has ordered an accelerated process to have the restrictions in force by September, citing risks to children’s mental health.
- Australia’s under‑16 ban has led platforms to remove about 4.7 million accounts, though experts flag easy workarounds and enforcement challenges, and the UK is considering similar measures without police-led enforcement.