France bans social media use for under-15s

French lawmakers today passed a law banning children under the age of 15 from using social media.

France thus became the first country in the European Union to approve this general ban on social platforms as concerns grow around the world about the harmful impact of digital content on children.

Both houses of the French Parliament today voted for this law, one of the flagship initiatives of French President Emmanuel Macron in his second term.

The law also prohibits the use of mobile phones in secondary schools.

Several French families have sued TikTok over teenage suicides they believe were linked to harmful content.

Child protection activists and parents welcomed the passage of this law.

The law is one of the last major measures adopted under Macron's presidency before he leaves office next year. Macron wants the law to come into effect at the start of the school year in September.

However, a review of whether it is in line with the French constitution is likely to be carried out and could delay its implementation.

The ban will not apply to online encyclopedias, educational or scientific databases.

MPs from the left-wing France Inconquered party opposed the law, arguing that its constitutionality was unclear, that it would end internet anonymity and that it would be impossible to enforce.

Ines Ležandr, legal advisor to the online protection group e-Enfance, said the law will not immediately mean a general ban.

"We will have to deal with the issue of existing accounts of those users who are under 15 years old. How are they identified, and how are they suspended? There is also the issue of verifying the age of the user for each new account," she said.

According to the French health watchdog, one in two teenagers spends between two and five hours a day on a smartphone. A report published in December said that about 90 percent of children aged 12 to 17 use smartphones daily to access the internet, and 58 percent for social media.

The report cites a range of harmful impacts from social media use including reduced self-esteem and increased exposure to content linked to risky behaviours such as self-harm, drug use and suicide.

When the European Commission found that the latest version of the French bill overlapped with the EU's Digital Services Act, which sets strict rules for the safety of internet users, French lawmakers reached an agreement yesterday on a revised version of the bill, which was then submitted to the houses for final adoption, which was done today.