The draft bill on social media restrictions, which also includes a digital curfew for 15- to 18-year-olds, will be debated by France's parliament on January 19, 2026.
It suggests prohibiting online platforms from providing any "social networking service to a minor under fifteen years of age" from September 1, 2026.
It also seeks to extend an existing ban on mobile phones from preschool through middle school (which France introduced in 2018) to high schools as well.
The draft legislation says "numerous studies and reports now attest to the various risks associated with excessive use of digital screens by teenagers", and lists particular risks as "exposure to inappropriate content", "cyberbullying" and "sleep disturbances".
MPs, mostly from President Emmanuel Macron’s Ensemble pour la République (EPR) party, put forward the bill on November 18.
Macron, who has voiced support for a ban on social media for under-15s, previously said that the bill could be debated by parliament "as early as January".
Read moreWill France be next to introduce an Australian-style social media ban for children?
Downward spiral
A French mother whose 15-year-old son died by suicide launched a legal fight in December against some of the world’s biggest social media platforms, alleging their algorithms were flooded with content that drove him into a “downward spiral”.
Read more'Downward spiral': French mother says social media drove her teen to commit suicide
Clement had only just started his second year of secondary school when he jumped off a bridge in the northwestern region of Brittany in 2024. His family are now seeking to reopen the investigation into his death and hold social media platforms to account.
They filed a complaint against TikTok and Meta, among other social media companies, in September on charges including incitement to suicide.
The vast majority of the videos on his TikTok "For You" page – where the platform's algorithm recommends content – were "inciting him to death, telling him he didn't matter to anyone", Clement's mother told AFP.
A social media ban for teens took effect earlier this month in Australia, making it the first country to institute such a law.
Children under 16 years old are now banned from using social media platforms, including X, TikTok, Facebook, Threads, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
New accounts for this age group are prohibited and profiles that existed before the ban are being deactivated.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the new law aimed to support young Australians and ease the mental health pressures that can come from endless scrolling.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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