FRANCE APPROVES UNDER-15 SOCIAL MEDIA BAN-The bill will go to the Senate ahead of becoming law
France’s National Assembly has approved legislation that bans children and teenagers under 15 from using social media, citing concerns over its impact on mental health.
French President Emmanuel Macron hailed it as a “major step” to protect the country’s children and teenagers. Lawmakers voted 116 to 23 in favour of the bill, which will now pass to the Senate before a final vote in the lower house.
The bill proposes banning under-15s from social networks and “social networking functionalities” embedded within broader platforms.
President Macron, who is urging France to follow Australia, whose world-first ban for under-16s on social media platforms including Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube came into force in December, reportedly wants the ban in place in time for the start of the next academic year in September.
The new trend of social media ban is being reportedly studied in countries including Britain, Denmark, Spain and Greece. The European Parliament has called for the European Union to set minimum ages for children to access social media; however, it is up to member states to impose age limits.
Some experts have also warned that a blanket ban may not address the underlying issues, as questions also remain about how it would be policed in practice.
