The French parliament has passed a ban on social media for children between the ages of 15 | Social Media Stories

President Emmanuel Macron, who promoted it, wants the ban to be implemented before next year.

The French parliament has passed a law to ban children under the age of 15 from using social media.

Lawmakers in both houses of the French parliament voted on Tuesday to support the law, which also bans students from using cellphones in schools.

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This will make France the first country in the European Union to approve a ban on social media, such as concerns are growing all over the world on the negative effects of digital content on children.

President Emmanuel Macron, who he promoted the ban as a signature measure in his second term, he says the approval of the parliament is a “big step”.

He added: “France is leading the way in Europe when it comes to protecting our children and young people.”

The French leader has pushed for the ban to come into effect by September, before the new year. However, a review to see if it complies with French law could delay its implementation.

“The Constitutional Council must act on this, so it will be time to act to make this possible and protect our children on the Internet,” Macron said in a video posted on television.

‘Account will be closed’

More and more countries take action to block social media found amid mounting warnings about its harm to children.

Health authorities in France last year said that platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram were dangerous for young people, especially girls, although it was not the only thing that caused them to go out of their way.

A couple of families in France have sued TikTok over the suicides of teenagers they say are linked to bad content.

The French ban is expected to be implemented in two phases, with children under the age of 15 banned from creating new accounts from September 1.

The ban will apply to existing accounts from January 2027, according to the rules.

“If someone is under the age of 15, the account will be closed,” said Digital Minister Anne Le Henanff, adding that user data will be protected.

The ban will not affect access to online encyclopaedias, academic or scientific journals.

Lawmakers from France’s left-wing party Unbowed opposed the law, saying its rules were unclear, that it would end online anonymity, and that it was impossible to enforce.

But child and parent advocates in particular praised the vote.

“We have been campaigning for this bill from the beginning because, frankly, we have no other option, no other way to deal with the tech giants,” said Gaelle Berbonde, 52, who lives in the Paris suburbs.

“All we can do is protect our children, just like we protect our children from alcohol.”