France plans to ban children under 15 from accessing social media and ban cellphones in high schools from September 2026, local media reported on Wednesday, moves that highlight growing public anxiety over the impact of online harm on minors.
President Emmanuel Macron has often pointed to social media as one of the factors responsible for youth violence and has indicated that he wants France to follow Australia, whose first global ban on under-16s on social media platforms, including Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube, came into force in December.
His government will present a bill at the beginning of January providing for legal controls, reported Le Monde and France Info.
Macron did not refer to this legislative initiative in his New Year’s speech, but he pledged to “protect our children and adolescents from social media and screens.”
Previously, the Elysée and the Prime Minister’s office had refused to comment on media reports.
Mobile phones have been banned in French primary and secondary schools since 2018 and the new changes announced would extend this ban to high schools. Students aged 11 to 15 attend colleges in the French education system.
France also passed a law in 2023 requiring social platforms to obtain parental permission for those under 15 to create an account, although technical issues have hampered its enforcement.
Macron wants more action at European level
Macron said in June he would push for European Union-level regulations banning access to social media for everyone under 15 after a deadly attack at a school in eastern France shocked the nation.
In November, the European Parliament urged the EU to set a minimum age for children’s access to social media to combat the rise in mental health problems among adolescents due to excessive exposure, although it is member states that impose age limits.
Various other countries have also taken steps to regulate children’s access to social media.
Macron enters the new year with his national legacy in tatters after his gamble on 2024 legislative elections led to a hung parliament, triggering the worst political crisis France has seen in decades, with a succession of weak governments.
However, tougher measures against minors’ access to social media could prove popular, according to opinion polls. A Harris Interactive survey conducted in 2024 showed that 73% of respondents supported banning access to social media for those under 15.
