French lower house passes bill banning social media for under-15s

France's lower house has passed a bill banning social media for under-15s, a move championed by President Emmanuel Macron. 

The National Assembly passed the bill in an overnight session from Monday to Tuesday, and it will now go to the Senate ahead of becoming law.

Macron hailed it as a "major step" to protect France's children and teenagers.

Lawmakers supporting the bill argue that social media platforms expose young users to harmful content, cyberbullying, and addictive design features that can negatively affect mental health.

The proposal places the responsibility on platforms to verify users’ ages and prevent under-15s from creating accounts, with penalties for companies that fail to comply.

The bill now moves to the French Senate for debate and possible amendments.

If the upper house approves the legislation, it will return to the National Assembly for a final vote before being sent to the president for signature.

Even if enacted, the law faces practical and legal hurdles.

France will need to determine how age verification will work without violating privacy and data-protection rules under European Union law.

The government has also indicated that full enforcement may depend on coordination at the EU level, as most major social media platforms operate across borders.

In the meantime, French authorities are expected to continue consultations with regulators, digital rights groups, and technology companies as they work out how the proposed ban could be implemented in practice.