France’s Senate voted to ban social media for under-15s

For new ones Social-Media-Content The law will apply from September 1st, and there will be a transition period of four months until January 1st, 2027 for existing accounts. During this time, “we will close the existing accounts of under-15s,” Macron said last month. The French president is particularly committed to the measure at the end of his term in office.

The law also provides for an extension of the ban on cell phones in schools from elementary and middle school to high school. However, exceptions are permitted.

Protecting mental health

The aim of the law is to harmful health effects of social media on adolescents should be avoided. According to a report by the National Health Agency, its use significantly harms the mental health of young people. The risks include cyberbullying, constant comparison with others or with sometimes unrealistic role models, and brutal content. In addition, according to the study, the algorithms suck the attention of young people and often deprive them of their sleep.

The bill does not provide for punitive measures for children and parents. Instead, it will be the job of the platforms Age verification system – if necessary, several in parallel to give users a choice. “In my view, the platforms are largely prepared,” said the parliamentary rapporteur responsible for the legal text, Laure Miller, who belongs to the government camp. In addition to private providers, the EU Commission also has one App developed to save the age on the smartphone and automatically block all banned apps.

The French bill provides for some exceptions, such as for “online encyclopedias” and “digital projects for educational purposes”. As for YouTube and WhatsApp, which are very widely used, rapporteur Miller clarified that these platforms must introduce age verification for those areas that are equivalent to a social network, such as sharing channels or comments.

According to them, simply watching videos or personal messaging are not affected by the ban.

Plans for future EU law

The EU Commission called on France two weeks ago to do so Improve the law for a social media ban. The Senate’s existing draft was not fully compatible with EU law because it interfered with the powers of the Brussels Commission.

Last week, a European expert panel also spoke out in favor of a social media ban in the EU for children under 13. In addition, restrictions for older young people are conceivable in the member states as long as online services do not protect them from the risks of addiction, depictions of violence and hate speech. According to rapporteur Miller, the French law would be “in line” with future European legislation.