On Monday, January 26th, the French National Assembly (Lower House) overwhelmingly passed legislation to ban children under 15 from using social media. The bill will now be sent to the Senate for a final vote.
In the vote, lawmakers passed the bill with 116 in favor and 23 against. The proposed legislation aims to prohibit minors under 15 from using social networks and social functions embedded in large platforms. This reflects public concerns that social platform content is harming the mental and physical health of teenagers. Additionally, the ban also includes restrictions related to high school students using phones on campus.
French President Emmanuel Macron publicly supported the parliamentary proposal, hoping for the bill’s approval. He pointed out that social media platforms are one of the factors leading to youth violence and urged France to follow Australia’s lead in taking strict measures.
Australia’s related ban officially came into effect in December 2025, prohibiting individuals under 16 from using social media platforms, including Facebook (Meta), Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, among others. Platforms violating the law will face hefty fines.
During the public hearing, Laure Miller, a proposer of the French bill, emphasized the intention behind the legislation. She stated, “With this law, we are setting a clear boundary in society, showing that social platforms are not harmless. Our children are reducing reading, sacrificing sleep, and even falling into the anxiety of comparing with each other because of these things.”
National Assembly member Thierry Perez expressed that the bill is established to address a “public health emergency.” He questioned, “Even though social platforms allow everyone to express themselves, what price do our children have to pay for this?”
Previously, the European Parliament had urged EU members to set a minimum age limit for social platforms, but ultimately left it up to member states to decide. A 2024 survey conducted by Harris Interactive showed that 73% of the public supported banning children under 15 from using social platforms.
While France’s restriction on underage social media usage has garnered widespread government and public support, Parisian teenagers have mixed opinions. Some are aware of the dangers of internet addiction, while others believe the ban is too strict.
Moreover, fully enforcing such bans remains a major challenge. The Australian government previously admitted to the difficulty of implementation. Even after the ban took effect, teenagers claiming to be under 16 were found boasting online about successfully circumventing restrictions and there were many similar cases.
Apart from France and Australia, currently the UK, Denmark, Italy, Spain, Greece, Germany, and some states in the United States are also considering banning teenagers aged 16 or under from using social media to prevent harmful content and screen addiction.
Asian countries are also following this trend. Malaysia announced that starting from July 2026, it will enforce a mandatory ban on teenagers under 16 from using social platforms and implement digital identity verification.
South Korea decided to ban the use of phones and social apps in classrooms for middle and high school students starting from the new academic year in March 2026, aiming to reduce bullying and distractions. In November 2025, India also declared that minors under 18 need explicit parental authorization to open social media accounts.