French parliament passes social media ban for under-15s

President Emmanuel Macron, who has championed the initiative, wants the ban in effect before the upcoming school year.France’s parliament has passed a landmark bill barring children under the age of 15 from using social media platforms.Lawmakers in both chambers of France’s parliament voted on Tuesday in support of the legislation, which also bans students from using mobile phones in schools.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3US Supreme Court clears path for Texas to enforce app age verification lawlist 2 of 3UK proposes voluntary overnight social media curfew for older teenslist 3 of 3Why were Andrew and Tristan Tate arrested? Will they be extradited to UK?end of listThe measure will make France the first country in the European Union to approve a blanket ban on social media, as concerns grow worldwide over the harmful effects of digital content on kids.President Emmanuel Macron, who championed the ban as a signature initiative of his second term, called parliament’s approval “a major step forward”.He added: “France is leading the way in Europe when it comes to protecting our children and teenagers.”The French leader has pushed for the ban to come into effect by September, ahead of the new school year. However, a review to determine whether it complies with the French constitution could delay its implementation.“The Constitutional Council must now rule on it, and then it will be time to take action to make this measure a reality and protect our children online,” said Macron in a video posted on social media.‘Account will be closed’A growing number of countries are taking steps to restrict social media access amid multiplying warnings over its harmful effects on children.France’s public health watchdog last year said platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram were harmful to adolescents, particularly girls, though it was not the sole reason for their declining mental health.