France will attempt a new onslaught to shield kids against over-screen time, with a draft law suggesting that social media accessibility to those under 15 should be banned by the following September. President Emmanuel Macron supports the initiative, and in early January, he stated that Parliament needs to begin discussing such a proposal. Australia banned under-16s social media this month, the first in the world.

The French draft says that many studies and reports nowadays confirm the numerous risks that can be caused by excessive use of digital screens by adolescents. Children who had unfiltered access to the internet were also subjected to inappropriate material and could fall victim to cyber-bullying or have their sleep patterns altered by the government.

There are two articles in the draft law. One would criminalize the act of an online service provider of an online social media providing a service to a child younger than 15. The second recommends the prohibition of mobile phones in secondary schools.

Macron has declared that his government prioritizes the digital protection of minors, yet implementation and adherence to international law have proven to be problematic. In 2018, an interdiction on the use of mobile phones at preschools and middle schools was introduced, which is not frequently exercised.

France, in the meantime, also collided with the rules of the European Union with a statute of a digital legal age of 15, enacted in 2023, which has been blocked.

The Sénat, the upper house of the French government, this month supported a project of safeguarding teenagers against excessive screen time and access to social media, which also entails the authorization of children younger than 16 years to subscribe to social media sites by their parents.

The proposal of the Sénat has been offered to the Assemblée Nationale, which would have to vote in favor of the text before it is made a law.