France Lawmakers Reach Compromise on Under-15 Social Media Ban

French lawmakers reached a compromise on Monday to advance a bill banning social media for children under 15. Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, strongly supports the measure, which also prohibits mobile phone use in high schools. The legislation targets a start date coinciding with the school year in September, though it cannot take effect before August 10 due to European Union notification requirements.

The agreement follows a directive from the European Commission, which found that an earlier version of the bill overlapped with the EU Digital Services Act. To resolve a conflict between the National Assembly, which sought a blanket ban, and the Senate, which preferred a blacklist of platforms, lawmakers agreed to a blanket ban while delegating compliance enforcement to EU authorities. The law excludes open-source software platforms, online encyclopedias, and educational directories.

This legislative push follows reports from France's health watchdog regarding the negative impact of social networks on teen mental health. The move aligns with a global trend of age restrictions in the United Kingdom and Australia.