France Becomes First EU Country to Ban Social Media for Under-15s
France will become the first European Union country to ban children under 15 from using social media platforms, after its Parliament approved the legislation. President Emmanuel Macron, in his final term, said he wants the rules in force by September. The proposal received final approval after the Senate cleared it, followed by a vote in the National Assembly, where it passed 279 to 8. Macron said it is now for the Constitutional Council to rule before implementation. In December the previous year, Australia became the first country to require major platforms including TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat to remove accounts of users under 16 or face significant penalties.
Key Facts & Details
8 points- 1France will be the first EU country to ban social media for under-15s.
- 2The French Parliament approved the legislation.
- 3The National Assembly passed it 279 to 8 after Senate clearance.
- 4President Macron wants it in force by September; the Constitutional Council must rule.
- 5Australia earlier became the first country to bar under-16s from major platforms.
Deep Dive
- +Australia's rule targets platforms including TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat.
- +Non-compliant platforms in Australia face significant financial penalties.
- +The move reflects growing global concern over children's online safety.
Exam Focus
France's new law bans social media use for children below what age?
Exam Relevance & Angle
Child-online-safety laws, the countries pioneering them and the age thresholds involved are frequently-asked international and technology-policy general awareness.
Target Exams
Background & Context
Governments worldwide are moving to restrict children's access to social media over concerns about mental health, addictive design and online harms. Australia led with a ban for under-16s, placing the compliance burden on platforms. In France, a bill must clear both the Senate and National Assembly, after which the Constitutional Council — France's top constitutional court — can review whether it conforms to the constitution before it takes effect.
Test Yourself
1 / 2France's new legislation bans social media use for children below which age?
Source
This topic is important for:
