France will ban social media for children under fifteen: "Their brains are not for sale"

ParisFrance's battle to keep children and teenagers away from screens and social media has taken another step forward. The National Assembly passed a law at midnight prohibiting access to social media platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram for those under fifteen, and banning mobile phone use in schools. The law must now go to the Senate for final approval, but President Emmanuel Macron has requested expedited processing so that it can be definitively approved within a few weeks and take effect on September 1st. "Because our children's brains are not for sale. Not on American platforms, not on Chinese networks. Because their dreams cannot and should not be dictated by algorithms," Macron stated in a message to X.

"With this future law, France wants to protect the mental health of our young people, because we have realized that social media is increasingly shaping their minds," stated the bill's sponsor, Macronist MP Laure Miller.

France, a pioneer

The President of the Republic has emphasized that France is a "pioneering" country in regulating these platforms. If the law is definitively passed, it will be the first European country to restrict access to social media for children and teenagers, and the second country in the world after Australia. In fact, France already banned access to social media for children under thirteen in 2018, but the law could never be implemented due to legal issues. The problem is that the regulation of online platforms falls under the jurisdiction of Brussels, not the member states.

What has changed now that allows Paris to implement the ban? First, the European Commission has opened the door for European governments to restrict access to social media for children and teenagers. And second, the approved text states that access is prohibited for those under fifteen, but does not explicitly impose any obligation on the platforms. In this way, it does not infringe upon EU powers. However, experts say it's not entirely clear that the law complies with EU regulations. At this point, it's uncertain whether the French law will be enforceable this time.

The current text also doesn't specify the names of the banned social media platforms, although the rapporteur explained that private messaging apps like WhatsApp and some educational platforms will be excluded from the ban. The other big question is how and who will force the platforms to verify the age of French users. Most likely, they will opt for the complex age verification system used in France for access to pornographic content platforms, which has been highly controversial but has ultimately been implemented.

No mobile phones at school

The law also provides for a ban on mobile phones in the lycéeThat is, during the stage equivalent to high school, between the ages of fifteen and eighteen. They have been banned for years in the collegesThe ban currently applies to secondary schools, where French students complete their education between the ages of eleven and fourteen, but the proposed ban aims to extend to older teenagers. This presents a significant challenge, given the experience of prohibiting such activities in schools. colleges This demonstrates that applying the rule is not easy. In any case, it remains to be seen whether the final text approved after the law has passed through the Senate will include this veto, which does not generate as much consensus as the ban on social media access for those under fifteen.

The legal text, presented by Macron's party, Renaissance, with the support of the government, has been voted for by the vast majority of political forces on the right, center, and left of the parliamentary spectrum, with some exceptions on the left (La France Insoumise and some Green Party deputies voted against it). In the coming weeks, it will be examined by the Senate, which could make changes, and will then have to return to the National Assembly for a final vote.