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French lawmakers are scheduled to vote on draft legislation on Monday that would prohibit children under the age of 15 from accessing social media, a flagship policy initiative championed by President Emmanuel Macron. The bill is part of the government’s efforts to protect young people from the potential harms of excessive screen time and online content.
The legislation, proposed by centrist lawmakers aligned with Macron’s Renaissance party, also includes a ban on mobile phones in high schools. The French bill will be examined from 4 pm (3 p.m. GMT) in the National Assembly. Authorities have indicated their intention to enforce the measures starting with the 2026–2027 school year.
President Macron emphasized the social and emotional rationale behind the proposed law. In a public statement to French broadcaster BFM-T on Saturday, he said, “The emotions of our children and teenagers are not for sale or to be manipulated, either by American platforms or Chinese algorithms.”
Former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, who leads the Renaissance party in the lower house, stated that the bill could be adopted by the Senate by mid-February, allowing the ban to take effect for new accounts by Sept. 1, 2026. Existing accounts that do not meet the age requirement would be required to comply by Dec. 31, 2026.
Implementation will require an effective age-verification system, which is currently under development at the European level. France previously introduced a ban on mobile phones in middle schools in 2018, and the new legislation seeks to extend similar restrictions to high schools.
Despite broad support, some political figures have expressed reservations. Former Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne cautioned that enforcing the mobile phone ban effectively in middle schools remains a challenge.
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