France Moves to Draw a Line Between Children and Social Media

France is close to doing something that Brussels has spent years discussing in the language of concern and consultation: setting a legal age barrier for social media. On Tuesday, French MPs and senators are voting on a final compromise text that would ban access for under-15s, putting Paris on course to become the first EU country to go that far.

The bill has already cleared a joint committee behind closed doors. Only the far-left France Unbowed opposed it, while the Socialists abstained — a familiar French parliamentary compromise, which usually means everyone has found a way to sound principled without having to be decisive. Laure Miller, the French MP and rapporteur on the bill, says lawmakers would prefer to impose tougher constraints on digital platforms, but argues that European Union law leaves them little manoeuvre. She says that under current EU rules, the only opening is to set a minimum age in national law, thanks to guidelines introduced last summer.

The text itself is more layered than a simple ban. Children under 13 would have time-limited access to social media, but only under the supervision of parents, caregivers or teachers. From 13 onwards, access would become gradual, depending on whether platforms can prove that their services are age-appropriate and safe for teenagers. The burden, at least on paper, is moving back towards the platforms, which have spent years treating self-regulation as if it were a public service.

France is not alone in sensing that the digital candy store needs a lock. Greece, Slovenia and Sweden are also planning restrictions for minors. Spain is considering a ban for children under 16, while Austria is looking at 14. The European Commission, for its part, is leaning toward a softer model. Ursula von der Leyen called earlier this month for phased and gradual access for different age ranges on digital platforms, and the Commission also wants a ban on screens for toddlers. Von der Leyen said a proposal would come after summer.

The debate is less about one bill than about who still has the authority to act quickly when a problem is obvious. France wants a harder line; the Commission wants stages, guidance and another proposal later. Between the two, the gap is not just legal. It is political. If Paris does become the first EU capital to ban social media for under-15s, it will be because national lawmakers decided that waiting for Brussels to discover urgency was no longer a serious option.

Written by Martina Kirchner martina.kirchner@alpineweekly.com