PARIS — French lawmakers are in a race against time, pushing to finalize a deal on legislation that would prohibit children under the age of 15 from accessing social media platforms — with the goal of having the ban in place when students return to school in September.
With Parliament’s summer break approaching fast, a joint committee made up of seven members of the National Assembly and seven senators convened Monday to hammer out a compromise. The effort hit a snag after the European Commission determined that the most recent version of the bill did not fully align with European Union law.
French President Emmanuel Macron has been a vocal supporter of the ban, which could stand as one of the last significant pieces of legislation passed under his leadership before he departs office next year.
The central disagreement between the two legislative chambers involves which platforms the ban would actually cover. The National Assembly voted to apply the ban across all online social networking services, while senators preferred to create a specific blacklist of prohibited platforms. Both sides agree the ban would not apply to online encyclopedias, educational or scientific directories, or open-source software development and sharing platforms.
The bill also includes a prohibition on mobile phone use in high schools and was crafted to align with the EU Digital Services Act — a set of strict regulations designed to protect internet users online.
While both the French government and the EU Commission share the goal of safeguarding minors, the Commission found that parts of the French bill overlap with existing EU rules and asked French officials to revise the draft. French senators have argued that the blacklist approach was not the part the Commission objected to, pointing instead to provisions they say grant too much authority to France’s regulatory body overseeing audiovisual and digital communications.
“Everyone must rise to the importance of the issue at stake, which is nothing less than protecting the physical and mental health of our children,” the Senate said in a statement.
If both chambers can reach an agreement, a final vote could happen as early as Tuesday. However, because of a required notification period under EU law, the legislation cannot officially become law before August 10.
France’s national health watchdog reports that one out of every two teenagers spends between two and five hours per day on a smartphone. A report it released in December found that roughly 90% of children between the ages of 12 and 17 go online daily via smartphones, and 58% of those kids use their devices to access social networks.
That same report identified several harmful effects tied to social media use among young people, including lower self-esteem and greater exposure to content linked to dangerous behaviors such as self-harm, drug use, and suicide. A number of French families have filed lawsuits against TikTok, claiming the platform’s content contributed to their teenagers taking their own lives.
Earlier this month, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for restrictions on children’s access to social media. A special EU advisory panel recommended banning access for children under 13 until technology companies can demonstrate their platforms are safe for young users.
Von der Leyen also stated that children under the age of 3 should have no screen exposure whatsoever, and she singled out infinite scrolling as one of several “addictive” features that tech companies need to address.
Globally, concern over the impact of social media on young, still-developing minds has led to a wave of new regulations. Countries including Australia, the United Kingdom, Turkey, and Indonesia have enacted bans preventing children under 15 or 16 from using platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram.
The European Commission is expected to put forward a proposal for all 27 EU member nations to consider in the coming months.
