French Parliament's Committee Approves Social Media Ban for Under-15s

Cyprus Mail

Social media apps' logos.

A reconciliation committee of France's Parliament agreed on a bill on Monday to ban access to social media for ‌those under 15 years of age.

President Emmanuel Macron has said he wants the ban to take effect before the start of the new school year in early September.

If enacted, France would become one of the first countries to introduce such restrictions, following Australia, which last year approved the world's first nationwide social media ban for under-16s covering platforms including Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube.

Macron has also urged other European countries to adopt similar measures, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has recently voiced support for stronger restrictions on children's access to social media across the European Union.

The agreed text will be debated in the National Assembly on Tuesday before being considered by the Senate.

Under the proposed legislation, France's Minister for Digital Affairs would draw up a list of social media platforms covered by the ban, while companies would be required to introduce age-verification systems approved by the country's data protection authority.

The bill also includes a provision prohibiting the use of smartphones in French secondary schools.

Source: Reuters



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