France will make a fresh attempt to protect children from excessive screen time, proposing a ban on social media access for children under 15 by next September, according to a draft law seen by AFP.

The initiative is backed by President Emmanuel Macron, who said earlier this month that parliament should start debating such a proposal in January. Australia this month imposed a social media ban on under-16s, in a world first.

“Many studies and reports now confirm the various risks caused by excessive use of digital screens by adolescents,” the French draft says.

Children with unfettered online access were exposed to “inappropriate content” and could suffer from cyber-harassment or experience changes to their sleep patterns, the government said.

The draft law has two articles. One would make illegal “the provision by an online platform of an online social media service to a minor under 15”. The second calls for a ban of mobile phone use in secondary schools.

Macron has said that the digital protection of minors is a priority for his government, but enforcement and compliance with international law have been issues.

A ban on mobile phone use in pre-schools and middle schools came into force in 2018, but is rarely enforced.

France, meanwhile, ran foul of European Union rules with a law calling for a “digital legal age” of 15, passed in 2023, that has since been blocked.

The French upper house, the Senate, this month backed an initiative for the protection of teenagers from excessive screen time and social media access, which includes a requirement for parental authorisation for children between 13 and 16 to register with social media sites.

The Senate’s proposal has been submitted to the National Assembly, which would need to approve the text before it can become law.

Source: AFP

- Agencies