France next to ban under-15s from social media

Le Monde newspaper said Macron could announce ‌the measures in his ​New Year's Eve national address. His government will submit ‍draft legislation for legal checks in early January, Le Monde and France Info reported.

The Elysee and the prime minister's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the reports.

Mobile phones have been banned in French primary and middle schools since 2018 and the reported new changes would extend that ban to high schools. Pupils aged 11 to 15 ​attend middle schools in the French educational system.

France also passed a ‌law in 2023 requiring social platforms to obtain parental consent for under-15s to create accounts, though technical challenges have impeded its enforcement.

Macron said in June he would push for regulation at the level of the ‍European Union to ban access to social media for all under-15s after a fatal stabbing at a school in eastern France shocked the nation.

The European Parliament in November urged the EU to set minimum ages for ​children ​to access social media to combat a ​rise in mental health problems among adolescents from excessive exposure, although it ​is member states which impose age limits.

Various other countries have also taken steps to regulate children's access to social media.

Macron heads into the New Year with his domestic legacy in tatters after his gamble on parliamentary elections in 2024 led to a hung parliament, triggering France's worst political crisis in decades that has seen a succession of weak governments.

However, cracking down further on minors' access to social media could prove popular, according to opinion polls. A Harris Interactive survey in 2024 showed 73 per cent ‍of those canvassed supporting a ban on social media access for under-15s.