This draft law, made up of two articles, would prohibit “the provision, by an online platform, of an online social networking service to a minor under fifteen years of age” starting 1 September 2026.
The French government argues that numerous studies and reports now attest to the various risks caused by excessive use of digital screens by adolescents, listing in particular the exposure to inappropriate content, cyberbullying, and sleep disruption among these risks.
This first article falls under the framework of the Law for Confidence in the Digital Economy (LCEN) and assigns the Audiovisual and Digital Communication Regulatory Authority (ARCOM) the responsibility of ensuring that this ban is enforced.
In a second article, the government’s draft law aims to extend the ban on mobile phone use to high schools. This measure is already in place from preschool to middle school under a 2018 law, although it sometimes proves difficult to enforce.
President Emmanuel Macron, who has made banning social media for under-15s a priority, announced at the beginning of December that the draft law should be debated “as early as January”.
On 19 December, the Minister Delegate for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Affairs, Anne Le Hénanff, defended in an interview with the newspaper Le Parisien a law that would be “short and compatible with European law”, mainly the the European regulation on digital services (DSA). A law establishing a digital age of majority at 15, passed in July 2023, could not be implemented due to a European blockage.
This government draft law follows several legislative initiatives pushing toward establishing a minimum age for using social media.
The National Assembly is expected to examine in January a similar private member’s bill introduced by the group led by Gabriel Attal, head of Renaissance. On 18 December, the Senate adopted a bill aimed at reducing children’s exposure to screens and social media, requiring minors aged 13 to 16 to obtain parental authorisation to register on these sites.
If the proposals move forward, France will echo Australia’s decision to ban social media for under 16s, a move that came into effect in early December.
