Social media logos [Reuters]
Social media logos [Reuters]

France's parliament passed a law Tuesday banning children under 15 from using social media.

Both the Senate and the National Assembly approved the bill by an overwhelming majority, according to the daily Le Monde. With the vote, France became the second country after Australia to legally restrict minors' access to social media, Reuters reported.

Anne Le Hénanff, the minister for AI, told the Senate that France was taking a leading role by becoming the first country in Europe to introduce a "digital age of majority."

Under the law, children under 15 will be barred from opening new social media accounts starting Sept. 1, when the new school year begins.

Social media platforms will be given a four-month grace period to close existing accounts held by underage users. They will also be required to adopt age-verification systems approved by France's data protection authority.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on X, formerly Twitter, that the bill had passed "as promised" and that social media use by children under 15 would be prohibited when the new school year starts.

"Now it is up to the Constitutional Council to make its decision, and after that we must act to effectively implement this measure and protect our children online," Macron wrote.

In France, once parliament passes a law, the Constitutional Council conducts a final review of the text to determine whether any provisions conflict with the constitution.

Social media companies have opposed such sweeping bans, arguing they already have age restrictions and other safeguards in place for minors. They have said, however, that they will comply if governments enact relevant legislation.

The European Commission is also developing its own regulations to tighten social media rules across Europe for the protection of young people, and is expected to review whether the French law aligns with existing EU regulations.


mokiya@heraldcorp.com