PARIS, July 23. /Dunyo IA/. French lawmakers have approved a ban on access to social media for children under the age of 15, reports Dunyo IA correspondent, citing TV channel “France 24.”

France has become the first country in Europe to adopt such a measure, following the example of Australia, where last year the world’s first ban has come into force prohibiting users under the age of 16 from using platforms including Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube.

“France opens the way by being the first country in Europe to adopt a digital majority,” Junior Minister for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technologies Anne Le Henanff told senators. –

Both chambers of parliament – the Senate and the National Assembly – approved the bill. President Emmanuel Macron expects the law to come into force by the beginning of the next school year.

Under the new rules, children under the age of 15 will be prohibited from creating social media accounts starting September 1. Platforms will be given an additional four months to close existing accounts. They will also be required to implement an age verification system approved by France's regulator responsible for personal data protection.

Social media platforms have generally opposed such bans, emphasizing that they already apply measures to protect younger users, including age restrictions. At the same time, companies have stated that they are prepared to comply with the requirements if they are adopted at the national level.

The European Commission is also developing its own rules for regulating social media to protect young people and will assess whether the French law complies with existing European legislation.

It should be recalled that President Emmanuel Macron had previously urged teenagers to spend less time on their phones and read more in order to become responsible citizens. Speaking to young people in April, he said that the lack of regulation had turned social media into a “jungle” that deprives people of their attention, and stressed the need to introduce restrictions for users under the age of 15.