• French National Assembly votes to ban social media for children under 15
• Ban includes mobile phones and protection of mental health

French lawmakers voted in favor of a bill that would prohibit children under the age of 15 from using social media, a move backed by President Emmanuel Macron to protect youngsters from excessive screen time.

The house approved the text by 130 votes to 21 during a long session that extended from Monday evening into Tuesday morning.

The bill will now move to the French Senate before it can become law.

Macron described the vote as a "major step" to safeguard French children and teenagers, stressing that the emotions of young people should not be sold or exploited by foreign platforms or digital algorithms.

The law also includes a ban on mobile phones in high schools, making France the second country after Australia to impose similar restrictions on children under 16.

Authorities aim to enforce the measures starting from the 2026 school year for new accounts, while platforms will have until December 31 to deactivate existing accounts that do not meet the age limit.

Gabriel Attal, leader of Macron’s Renaissance party in the National Assembly, said the law aims to reduce the effects of screens and social media on adolescents’ mental health and to counter forces that seek to "colonize young minds" through these platforms.

France’s public health office noted that the use of platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram has negative effects on teenagers, particularly girls, including exposure to cyberbullying and violent content, though it is not the sole cause of declining mental health.

The draft law stipulates that "access to online social networking services is prohibited for minors under 15," with educational platforms being exempt.

An effective age verification system will need to be implemented, and work on this is currently underway at the European level.

Left-wing lawmaker Arnaud Saint-Martin criticized the bill, calling it an "overly simplistic response" to technological challenges.

Nine child protection associations urged lawmakers to focus on holding platforms accountable rather than banning children from social media.

In a related move, Macron supports banning mobile phone use in high schools, following France’s previous ban in middle schools for children aged 11 to 15.

Former Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne expressed reservations about the law, emphasizing that enforcement in middle schools must be properly implemented before expanding it to higher grades.