French Lawmakers Reach Agreement on Amendments to Bill Banning Social Media for Under-15s

Members of the French parliament reached a compromise today that could allow the law banning the use of social media for those under 15 and banning mobile phones in secondary schools to come into effect at the very start of the upcoming school year in September. However, all this is happening just before lawmakers leave for their summer break, and time for action is running out.

The problem arose when the European Commission determined that the latest version of the law was not fully compatible with European Union law. In the meantime, lawmakers from both the upper and lower houses of the French parliament reached an agreement on amendments. After today’s discussions and agreements, the revised law will go to a final vote tomorrow in both the National Assembly and the Senate.

If the vote is successful and the law is adopted, it will not come into force before August 10, as required by European regulations regarding public notification.

Lawmakers ultimately agreed to propose a complete ban, in line with the version first adopted by the lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, and the relevant European bodies will be tasked with monitoring whether social networks comply with the age-based ban.

The ban will not apply to online encyclopedias, educational and scientific websites, or platforms for the development and sharing of open-source software.

The main point of contention between the two houses of parliament was which platforms would be banned. The National Assembly sought to ban all social networks for those under 15, while senators proposed a blacklist of platforms.

French President Emmanuel Macron is a strong advocate of the ban, and it could become one of the last legislative measures adopted before his term expires next year.

Although it supported the idea of better protecting minors, the European Commission determined that the previous version of the law was not aligned with the European Digital Services Act, which contains a series of mandatory provisions regarding the safety of internet users.