Draft bill to ban social media before age 15 and mobile phones in high school

The French government is preparing a bill to ban access to social networks for minors under 15 from the start of the 2026 school year. This measure responds to a constant increase in screen time among young people: 2h33 per day for 9-11 year olds, up to 5h10 for 16-19 year olds.

Bill measures

The text, composed of two articles, prohibits the provision of social network services to under-15s from September 1, 2026. Arcom will be responsible for enforcing this ban. Education Minister Édouard Geffray justifies this measure by three issues: the sociability of young people, their intellectual development, and their critical thinking skills in the face of misinformation.

The second article extends the ban on mobile phones, already in force from kindergarten to middle school since 2018, to high school. The minister specifies that exceptions will remain possible depending on local uses, leaving school principals to adapt the internal regulations.

Legal and parliamentary context

The text aims to be compatible with European law, particularly the DSA regulation. A law establishing a digital majority at 15, enacted in July 2023, could not be applied due to a European blockage. The National Assembly will examine a similar proposal in January, while the Senate adopted a text in December providing for parental authorization for 13-16 year olds.

The minister emphasizes that schools cannot bear this responsibility alone and calls for involving families, combining exposure limitation, education on uses, and the development of offline alternatives.

To learn more about the details of the bill and the local initiatives proposed by the Collectif Attention, consult the full article.

Source: Ban on social networks for under-15s and mobile phones in high school: what we know about the bill

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