French parliament votes to ban social media for under-15s

French lawmakers are poised to vote on Tuesday, July 21, on a bill that would ban social media access for children under the age of 15, a move championed by President Emmanuel Macron and part of a growing international trend to regulate minors' online activity. The legislation, which also includes a ban on smartphone use in high schools, aims to be in force by the start of the new academic year in September.

The bill was approved by a parliamentary reconciliation committee on Monday, July 20, clearing the way for the final vote. If passed, the law would prohibit children under 15 from opening new social media accounts starting September 1. Existing accounts belonging to children under that age would need to be closed by platforms within four months, effectively by January 2027. Exceptions are made for online encyclopedias, educational websites, and scientific directories.

A key component of the legislation requires social media platforms to implement age verification systems approved by France's privacy regulator. The government has stated that platforms will be able to choose their own verification tools from a range of available options. These include third-party verification...