French lawmakers expected to pass social media ban for children under 15

French lawmakers are expected to approve a bill banning social media access for children under 15 on Tuesday, putting France at the forefront of similar efforts in the European Union.

Parliamentarians from the upper and lower houses reached a compromise on the bill's text on Monday, paving the way for a vote on its final adoption, which is expected to pass despite criticism from parties on the left.

"Tomorrow, France will become the first country in Europe to introduce a digital age limit to better protect our children online," French Digital Minister Anne Le Henanff said on X.

Read moreAre teenagers too young to scroll? Europe weighs social media bans for minors

President Emmanuel Macron has championed the law as a flagship reform of his final term in office and pledged to enforce it by September, meaning another element of the bill, a mobile phone ban in secondary schools, would be in place by the beginning of the school year.

The social media rule is expected to be rolled out in two stages, the first blocking under-15s from creating new accounts from September 1. The ban would apply to existing accounts from January 2027, according to the text.

Lawmakers agreed on the need for regulation, as warnings have multiplied over the harmful affects of social media on children.

France's public health watchdog last year said platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram were detrimental to adolescents, particularly girls, though it was not the sole reason for their declining mental health.

The agency said that one in two teenagers spends between two and five hours a day on a smartphone. In a report published in December, it said that some 90 percent of children aged between 12 and 17 use smartphones daily to access the internet, with 58 percent of them using their devices for social networks.

The report highlighted a range of harmful effects stemming from the use of social networks, including reduced self-esteem and increased exposure to content associated with risky behaviours such as self-harm, drug use and suicide. Several families in France have sued TikTok over teen suicides they say are linked to harmful content.

Read moreShould kids be banned from social media? The world is deciding

The two chambers had disagreed on their approach to a ban, however.

French Senators had opted for a two-tier system distinguishing between blacklisted platforms flagged as harmful to a child's development and those that could still be accessed with parental consent.

But the lower house's broader approach demanding social media platforms refuse new users under 15 and suspend accounts belonging to children under that age prevailed.

Exceptions are provided for sites such as online encyclopaedias and educational platforms.

EU role

The blacklisting system would have taken more time, including fresh consultations with the European Commission on the criteria, and carried a "small risk" of non-compliance with European law, said centrist Senator Catherine Morin-Desailly, in charge of the bill in the upper house.

The EU itself has been mulling a social media ban since a push by member states, including France, Greece and Spain, for limiting access.

Last week, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said children should have "phased and gradual access" to social media.

Enforcement of regulations will also face the challenge of setting up effective age verification systems.

Lawmaker Laure Miller told AFP platforms will be expected to integrate "the tool or tools" of their choice for this purpose, with various options available or in the works, including an age-verification app unveiled in April by the European Commission.

After Macron's government suspended a flagship pensions reform last year, a social media ban could be his last major domestic change before he steps down in April 2027.

With the law's adoption, France would join a growing list of more than 20 countries that have taken steps toward regulating children's social media access.

In December last year, Australia became the first country in the world to require TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat and other top sites to remove accounts held by under-16s, or face heavy fines.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP and AP)