French Assembly Backs Under-15 Social Media Ban, Bill Heads to Senate

Overview

• Lawmakers approved the bill in a first vote, 116–23, to bar under‑15s from social networks and related features, and sent the text to the Senate.
• The government’s timeline would block creation of new underage accounts from September and require deactivation of existing ones by 1 January 2027.
• A companion provision would extend France’s school phone ban to high schools, with final language to be finalized during Senate review.
• Centrist and right‑wing parties backed the plan as a child‑protection measure, while the left condemned it as “digital paternalism” and questioned enforceability without strong age checks.
• Policymakers cite ANSES warnings about harms to adolescents as other countries move too, with Australia’s under‑16 ban in force and Egypt and the UK evaluating similar restrictions.