Paris, 27 January 2026 (dpa/MIA) - The French National Assembly has voted in favour of banning the use of social media for children under the age of 15.

Lawmakers in Paris adopted the draft legislation late on Monday. The bill stipulates that access to an online social-networking service provided by an online platform would be prohibited for minors under 15.

The text still needs approval by the Senate, the French parliament's upper house.

The wording adopted by the lower house does not specify which social media platforms would be covered by the ban. It does, however, make clear that "online encyclopaedias" as well as "educational or scientific directories" would be exempt. Private messaging services would also not be affected.

The original version of the bill debated by lawmakers was less far-reaching. It would have allowed minors to continue using certain platforms with parental consent. That provision has now been dropped.

The legislation was backed in the National Assembly mainly by lawmakers from the camp of French President Emmanuel Macron.

Following the vote, Macron wrote on social media platform X: "This is what scientists recommend and what the French are overwhelmingly calling for."

Macron said he wanted the measure to take effect by the next school year. "From September 1, our children and young people will finally be protected. I will see to that," he wrote.

France had already attempted several years ago to introduce a minimum age of 15 for teenagers to create their own social-media accounts without parental consent. However, the law could not be enforced due to European Union legislation. Whether the new rules comply with current EU law remains to be seen.

Last year, the European Parliament voted by a large majority in favour of calling for an EU-wide minimum age to use social media, though the adopted report has no binding legal effect.

If the law is ultimately adopted, France would be among the first countries to impose such strict limits on minors' access to social media.

In Australia, children and teenagers under 16 years of age have recently been barred from holding their own social-media accounts on many major platforms.

In the United Kingdom, the House of Lords last week voted in favour of a social-media ban for under-16s, which still requires approval by the Labour-dominated House of Commons.

In Denmark, the government has agreed with the opposition to introduce a national minimum age of 15 for access to certain social-media platforms.

In Germany, there is an ongoing debate over whether children's access to social media should be restricted.

Photo: MIA archive