France seeks to ban social media for children under 15

This photo taken on October 30, 2025 shows 10-year-old Bianca Navarro posing with a screenshot of herself from Snapchat on her iPhone at her home in western Sydney. DAVID GRAY / AFP

France will make a fresh attempt to protect children from excessive screen time, proposing a ban on social media access for children under 15 by next September, according to a draft law seen by AFP. The initiative is backed by President Emmanuel Macron, who said earlier this month that Parliament should start debating such a proposal in January. Australia this month imposed a social media ban on under 16s, in a world first.

"Many studies and reports now confirm the various risks caused by excessive use of digital screens by adolescents," the French draft says. Chidren with unfettered online access were exposed to "inappropriate content" and could suffer from cyber-harassment or experience changes to their sleep patterns, the government said.

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The draft law has two articles. One would make illegal "the provision by an online platform of an online social media service to a minor under 15." The second calls for a ban of mobile phone use in secondary schools.

Macron has said that the digital protection of minors is a priority for his government, but enforcement and compliance with international law have been issues. An ban on mobile phone use in preschools and middle schools came into force in 2018, but is rarely enforced.

France meanwhile ran foul of European Union rules with a law calling for a "digital legal age" of 15, passed in 2023, that has since been blocked.

The French upper house, the Sénat, this month backed an initiative for the protection of teenagers from excessive screen time and social media access, which includes a requirement for parental authorization for children between 13 and 16 to register with social media sites.

The Sénat's proposal has been submitted to the Assemblée Nationale which would need to approve the text before it can become law.

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