France has moved a step closer to restricting children’s access to social media after a reconciliation committee of the country’s Parliament approved a bill to ban social media use for those under 15 years of age.
French President Emmanuel Macron has said he wants the legislation to come into effect before the new school year begins in early September. If implemented, France would follow Australia, which introduced the world’s first nationwide social media ban for users under 16 across platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube in December.
Macron has also been advocating for similar measures across the European Union. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has recently expressed support for limiting children’s access to social media across the 27-member bloc.
The reconciled version of the bill is scheduled to be debated in the Lower House on Tuesday before moving to the Senate for further consideration.
Under the proposed legislation, France’s Information Technology Minister will prepare a list of social media platforms that will be prohibited for children and teenagers under the age of 15. Social media companies will also be required to implement age verification systems approved by the French privacy regulator.
In addition to restricting social media access, the bill proposes a ban on smartphone use in high schools.
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