Khaberni - Local media reported that France plans to ban the use of social media by minors under 15 years old and to prohibit mobile phones in high schools starting September 2026, steps confirming the growing public concern over the harms inflicted on minors online.
President Emmanuel Macron often refers to social media as one of the factors responsible for youth violence, and clarified that he wants France to follow Australia's lead, which was the first country in the world to impose a ban on social media platforms for those under 16 years old, including Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube, which went into effect in December.
Le Monde and France Info newspapers reported that his government will submit a draft law for legal review in early January, and while Macron did not mention the legislative effort in his New Year's Eve speech, he pledged to "protect our children and teenagers from social media and screens."
Previously, the Élysée and the Prime Minister's office declined to comment on the media reports, and the use of mobile phones had been banned in French elementary and middle schools since 2018. The reported new changes would extend this ban to include high schools.
Pupils aged between 11 and 15 attend middle schools in the French education system.
In 2023, France enacted a law requiring social platforms to obtain parental consent for creating social media accounts for those under 15 years old, although technical challenges have hindered its implementation.
