French Parliament Approves Social Media Ban for Under-15s: New Child Safety Law
Overview of the New Child Safety Law and Social Media Ban
Legislative Approval and Timeline
PARIS, July 20 (Reuters) - A reconciliation committee of France's Parliament agreed on a bill on Monday to ban access to social media for those under 15 years of age.
French President Emmanuel Macron has said he wants the ban to be in force by the start of the school year in early September. France would follow Australia, which enacted the world's first ban for under-16s on platforms including Meta Platforms' Facebook, Snap's Snapchat, Bytedance's TikTok and Alphabet's YouTube in December.
International Context and Support
• Macron has drummed up support for the ban in the European Union and elsewhere. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has recently supported limiting children's access to social media in the 27-country bloc.
Parliamentary Process
• The reconciled text will be discussed on Tuesday in the Lower House and later in the Senate.
Key Provisions of the Law
List of Banned Social Networks
• The Information Technology minister will establish a list of the social networks banned for children and teenagers younger than 15 years old.
Age Verification Requirements
• Social media platforms will have to set up systems of age verification approved by the French privacy regulator.
Smartphone Use in Schools
High School Smartphone Ban
• The bill would also ban the use of smartphones in high schools.
(Reporting by Inti Landauro; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
