SerpApi.Org
July 21 (UPI) -- The French parliament passed a new law to ban children younger than 15 from using social media.
The law was a pet project of President Emmanuel Macron, who is near the end of his term limits. He announced the ban on X immediately after it passed Wednesday.
"I had committed to it, and now it's been voted on: social media will be banned for those under 15 starting back-to-school. Thanks to the parliamentarians. It's up to the Constitutional Council to rule, then on to action to make this measure concrete and protect our children online," Macron said.The French Senate and National Assembly approved the ban, despite criticism from some on the left, which has said it prevents online anonymity.
The law will be implemented in two stages: Beginning in September, children under 15 can't open accounts, and age verification will be required for all new accounts; and in January 2027, the age verification rule applies to all existing accounts.
The French privacy regulator would have to approve the age-verification tools used, and everyone in France would have to verify their age on social media. The law doesn't create penalties against children or parents who don't comply or for social media providers. Those would likely need to come from the European Union.
In December, Australia was the first country to ban children under 16 from using social media apps, though a June New York Times report showed it is largely failing to keep kids off social media. Britain and Canada are working on implementing similar bans, and Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain have all written laws. The EU is expected to create a bill this fall.
"France wants to push its own legislation to make the EU act, and the EU act fast," Jessica Galissaire, a senior policy researcher at Interface, a Berlin-based think tank, told The Times. "I see it more as a political announcement."
Macron, last year, argued for the ban.
"It is clear that before the age of 15 or 16, social media is not a good thing. This is because at that age, we have not yet sufficiently consolidated things on an affective, emotional and cognitive level," he said.
He likened it to age restrictions on drinking alcohol.
"Sixty years ago, kids were served wine," he said. "There may still be people who serve beer to infants, but in my opinion, they are not in a majority in the country today."
