France advances bill to ban social media for under-15s

📌 Summary:

• France on July 20, 2026 approved a bill that can enforce a social media ban for children under 15
• The bill also bans smartphone use in high schools
• The text was cleared by a reconciliation committee of France Parliament; it goes for discussion and then to the Senate
• If passed, the law is expected to be enforced around the start of the new academic year in September
• France IT minister Clara Chappaz is to draw up a list of platforms to be banned for minors
• Part of a global trend of tightening rules on children access to social media over mental-health and safety concerns (echoing debates in Australia, the EU and India)

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS2/GS3 — regulation of social media and Big Tech, child online safety, digital governance, and comparative lessons for India intermediary and age-verification rules.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• France 2026 bill proposes a social media ban for under-15s plus a smartphone ban in high schools
• The bill was cleared by a reconciliation committee before the Senate stage
• Similar age-based social media curbs have been debated in Australia and the EU

🔑 Key Term: Age verification / age-gating — technical and legal measures requiring platforms to confirm a user age before granting access, central to child-safety regulation of social media.