France to ban social media for kids under 15

The French National Assembly has approved a bill banning children under 15 from using social media and prohibiting smartphone ownership in public schools. The bill was supported by 130 deputies and opposed by 21. The law establishes clear age restrictions for registration on digital platforms.

The local law became part of a European wave of measures, similar to the ban on social media for under-16s introduced in Australia. A similar initiative has already been adopted in Denmark, where a blockade of social media access for everyone under 15 was reported, with the law expected to take effect in the middle of the current year.

Context

The bill emerged as part of regional efforts to limit youth digital addiction.