French lawmakers vote to ban social media use by under-15s

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 3 min read 100% complete by Agence France-PresseJanuary 27, 2026 at 03:22 AM

AI Summary

medium article 3 min

French lawmakers have passed a bill in the lower national assembly to ban social media use for those under 15, aiming to protect children from excessive screen time and potential mental health issues. Championed by President Macron, the bill will now proceed to the Senate before potentially becoming law, with authorities aiming for enforcement by the start of the 2026 school year. The legislation also includes a ban on mobile phones in high schools. Social media platforms would be required to deactivate non-compliant accounts by the end of 2026. The bill excludes online encyclopedias and educational platforms, and necessitates an effective age verification system.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Europe 40% TikTok 40% Instagram 40% Snapchat 40% Renaissance 50% Australia 50% Gabriel Attal ×270% National Assembly 70% Senate ×270% Emmanuel Macron ×390% France ×690%

Keywords

social media ban 100% under-15s 90% screen time 70% mental health 70% age verification 60% french lawmakers 50% cyberbullying 40% child development 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Positive

Score: 0.20

Source Transparency

Source

The Guardian - World News

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.40)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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social media ban under-15s screen time mental health age verification french lawmakers cyberbullying child development

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