French lawmakers pass sweeping social media ban for children under 15

By — Samuel Petrequin, Associated Press Samuel Petrequin, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/french-lawmakers-pass-sweeping-social-media-ban-for-children-under-15 Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter French lawmakers pass sweeping social media ban for children under 15 World Jul 21, 2026 4:01 PM EDT PARIS (AP) — France banned children under 15 from using social media on Tuesday, becoming the first country in the European Union to pass a blanket ban on the platforms as concerns grow worldwide over the harmful effects of digital content on kids. Both chambers of the Parliament voted in favor of the measure, a flagship initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron's second term. The bill also bans the use of mobile phones in high schools. READ MORE: 'It's deeply disturbing.' What a new report says about risks Google's AI search features pose to kids Several families in France have sued TikTok over teen suicides they say are linked to harmful content. Children's advocates and parents applauded the vote. "We've been campaigning for this bill from the start because, frankly, we have no other option, no other way to counter tech giants," said Gaëlle Berbonde, a 52-year-old who lives in the Paris region. "The only thing we can do is protect our children, just as we protect our children from drinking alcohol." Berbonde told The Associated Press that her daughter was in seventh grade when she got her first smartphone. A parental control app helped monitor what she did online, but Berbonde had no idea what TikTok really was. After a few months, the family realized that the daughter was cutting herself and was suffering from anorexia and depression. She spent a year and a half in the hospital but is now 16 and well. Macron wants the ban in place for the new school year The legislation is one of the final major measures adopted under Macron's presidency before he leaves office next year. Macron wants the law to take effect at the start of the new school year in September. However, a review to determine whether the bill complies with the French Constitution is likely to take place and could delay its implementation. "France is leading the way in Europe in protecting our children and our teenagers," Macron said. "We will keep on going." The ban won't cover online encyclopedias, or educational or scientific directories. Lawmakers from the left-wing party France Unbowed opposed the bill, arguing that its constitutionality is unclear, that it would effectively end online anonymity, and that it would be impossible to enforce. Ines Legendre, a legal adviser for the online protection group e-Enfance, said the law will not immediately translate into an outright ban. "We'll also have to address the issue of existing accounts for those under 15. How do we identify them? How do we suspend them? And then there's the question of age verification for all new accounts that wil