France bans under-15s from social media

France has become the first country in the European Union to impose a blanket ban on social media use by under-15s, amid growing global concern about the impact of digital content on minors' health and safety.

French lawmakers voted in favor of legislation on Tuesday, putting the country at the forefront of European efforts to tackle the issue. A number of countries in the bloc are now moving to curb social media access for children amid mounting warnings about its harmful effects.

France's President Emmanuel Macron has cast the measure as a signature reform of his final term in office and vowed to have it in force by September. The law also bans the use of mobile phones in high schools.

"France is leading the way in Europe when it comes to protecting our children and teenagers," Macron said in a video posted on social media, hailing the move "a major step forward".

"The Constitutional Council must now rule on it, and then it will be time to take action to make this measure a reality and protect our children online," he added on X.

The new law will be implemented in two stages. From Sept 1, under-15s will not be able to open accounts and all new accounts will require age verification. From January 2027, the rule will extend to existing accounts, so everyone in France will have to prove they are older than 15 to use social media.

Anne Le Henanff, France's digital minister, said the timeline for implementation of the ban was realistic "because age-verification tools already exist".

In December, Australia became the first country in the world to set a ban on under-16s using social media platforms, including Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube.

Several European countries are considering social media use restrictions, while the European Commission is working on its own regulations to limit social media access across Europe to protect young people.

Gaelle Berbonde, a 52-year-old parent from the Paris region whose daughter self-harmed and struggled with anorexia after using a social media platform, told the Associated Press she welcomed the ban.

"We've been campaigning for this bill from the start because, frankly, we have no other option, no other way to counter tech giants," said Berbonde. "The only thing we can do is protect our children, just as we protect our children from drinking alcohol."

The United Kingdom is preparing legislation for a ban on social media for under-16s and a default overnight curfew for 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds, from midnight to 6 am. Once approved by lawmakers, the measures are expected to take effect in the spring of 2027, the UK government said.

Social media platforms generally oppose blanket bans and say they already protect younger users with age restrictions, but they have pledged to comply with such laws when governments enact them.