France makes decision: No more phones in schools and no social media for under-15s

The new law — provided it is approved by France’s Constitutional Council — could make the country the first European Union member state to introduce a social media ban, following the adoption of similar legislation in Australia in 2024.

The aim of the new law is to reduce the negative health impacts associated with social media use among children, while also banning mobile phone use in schools and introducing new rules regarding advertising by social media platforms, according to the Associated Press.

Regulators have proposed the use of age-verification tools to determine whether users are old enough to create accounts, although it remains unclear which system platforms will have to implement in order to comply with the law. That decision could ultimately fall to ARCOM, France’s digital communications regulator, which would enforce the ban once it comes into effect.

Depending on whether President Emmanuel Macron succeeds in his intention, those details could be defined quickly. In a post on X thanking parliament for approving the ban, Macron called for the law to enter into force by the start of the school year in September. Macron had previously called for the parliamentary vote on the ban to be conducted under an accelerated procedure, CNN reported.